KUCHING, April 23 — Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) today reinstated its decision not to allow food stallholders to sell Ramadan food items within their compounds during fasting month following strong protests against the move in social media, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Karim Rahman Hamzah said today.
However, he said SDMC still allowed the stallholders to make online sales.
“Therefore, after considering the views and recommendations from various parties on the decision of the committee to allow stallholders to sell Ramadan food items, SDMC has agreed to come up with a new arrangement,” he said at the daily media briefing presided by SDMC chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah on the updates of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infection situation in the state.
Karim said the stallholders are only allowed to ply their trade through on-line between 7am to 7pm, instead of what was decided yesterday from 3pm to 10pm.
“Stallholders and members of the public who wish to register for the purpose of making online sales can go to a number of applications, such Help Services, Grab Food and Food Panda,” he said.
He said they can also use other applications that provide services to supply food.
Karim also wanted the stallholders to register with the various local councils in their respective areas so to ensure that they supply hygienic food items to the public.
Yesterday, SDMC decided to allow food sellers to operate from their homes for the Ramadan fasting month, but stressed that they may not set up tables and chairs for their customers to break their fast inside the compound.
“They can only prepare takeaways for their customers,” Karim had told reporters, adding that the food stallholders may only operate from 3pm to 10pm throughout the Ramadan month.
He said fast-food chains and restaurants were also allowed to operate from 3pm to 10pm to sell Ramadan food.
SDMC’s decision was severely criticised in social media, many saying that it would lead to more people getting infected with Covid-19 due to close contacts among the customers.
They also said the operating hours of the stallholders from 3pm to 10pm conflicted with the 7am to 7pm during which people can go out to buy essential food items and do other essential things.
They said the operating hours would cause much confusion to the police in enforcing MCO.
