KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 — Malaysians will have to find other means of doing their laundry if they have been going to self-service laundry shops as these outlets will have to close during the two-week restriction of movement order starting today.
In a list of 20 frequently-asked questions for the retail sector that was released today, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) said such laundry services have to be temporarily suspended during this two-week period lasting from March 18 to March 31 to avoid crowds.
“Self-service laundry shops cannot operate throughout the period of the restriction of movement order to avoid the public from gathering,” it said in a brief reply in the FAQ list.
As for customer service call centres, the ministry said these services will be allowed to continue operating during this two-week period.
In an effort to limit crowds where the Covid-19 can spread easier and faster, the government had on Monday said the order to restrict the public’s movement would ban public gatherings and require non-essential businesses to stop.
Under the two-week order, only essential services such as those in this list can continue to operate: water, electricity, telecommunications, postal, transportation, irrigation, oil and gas, fuel, lubricants, broadcast, financial, banking, health, pharmacies, fire and rescue services, prison services, ports, airports, security, defence, cleaning, sundry goods and food supply.
Today, the KPDNHEP in its FAQ list responded to the question of whether security guards at supermarkets can continue on, replying that security-related services are allowed to continue operating.
The ministry also said rubbish collection companies can continue to operate at outlets such as supermarkets and convenience stores.
In the same FAQ list, the ministry, however, said that any ongoing renovation works at business premises have to be “postponed”.
“If there are security issues, the company has to obtain permission from the Works Ministry and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) for renovation works to go on,” it added.
The KPDNHEP’s list of FAQ today is on top of the National Security Council’s separate list of FAQ yesterday addressing the do’s and don’ts during this two-week period.
