KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 ― Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has denied adopting a policy of favouritism in allowing business activities involving petty trade in the capital during the movement control order 3.O (MCO 3.0) or  total lockdown period to curb the spread of Covid-19.

DBKL in a statement today said any permission for a business to operate is subject to the decisions and instructions issued by the National Security Council (MKN).

"Such business activities that are allowed to operate are wholesale markets, hawker centres, built/covered markets, roadside stalls, bazaars, locked kiosks/stalls, food trucks, travelling hawkers and holders of temporary permits, limited time operation licence and KL Prihatin temporary licence.

"Open morning markets are the same as night markets/farmers' markets which are not allowed by the government to operate (during MCO 3.0),” said the statement.

DBKL said every business that is allowed to operate must comply with the stipulated Covid-19 prevention standard operating procedures (SOP).

"To date, DBKL has been monitoring these locations and a total of 22 compound notices have been issued against premises that did not comply with the set SOPs,” the statement added.

On June 9, Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok had claimed that there was double-standards by DBKL in allowing markets to operate during MCO 3.0 after receiving complaints from open morning market hawkers who were instructed to stop operations during the total lockdown.

MCO 3.0 was originally to be from June 1 to 14 but has since been extended until June 28. ― Bernama