BALAKONG, June 2 — A furniture factory here has been ordered to close after it was believed to have falsified information on a letter of application for a permit to operate during the implementation of the total lockdown, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.

The minister, who visited the factory today, said it operated using a permit issued for household items.

"Furniture manufacturing is not considered as an essential sector and it is not allowed because it has a large number of employees that can result in the spread of Covid-19,” he said, adding that the factory would be compounded RM50,000 if it refuses to close.

He told reporters this after monitoring SOP compliance at three factories here accompanied by his secretary-general, Datuk Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.

He said the factory was also found to be operating with a large number of employees — 200.

Hamzah urged factory owners and companies to be honest when applying for permission letters to operate during the total lockdown period. — Bernama