PUTRAJAYA, April 28 — Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said that pawn shops do not fall under the categories of essential services, and as such will not be allowed to operate during the movement control order (MCO).
However, he said that the National Security Council will consider allowing Bank Rakyat’s Ar-Rahnu pawn shops to operate, under strict conditions.
“For private pawn shops, they will still be considered as non-essential and must be closed. But as mentioned before, the council is still discussing on setting up standard operating procedures for green zones, and if any loosening of restrictions occur they must still adhere to the SOPs,” he said during his daily press conference.
Ismail was responding to reports of the public requesting for pawn shops to be opened, with some seeking to dispose of gold or valuables, as the MCO has left them without any source of income.
Similarly, the minister was asked if the government is willing to consider extending the operating hours of food sellers — up to 10pm — due to the ongoing Ramadan fasting month and the recent evening rains disrupting their operations as well as the fast-breaking period.
“For the time being, food operations will still have to close by 8pm. Therefore the public is advised to make their orders or purchases earlier.
“However on the SOPs for green zones, we may consider extending the operations if it is deemed necessary,” Ismail said.
On a separate note, he said police had conducted 832 roadblocks nationwide yesterday, inspecting 616,917 vehicles.
He said 489 people were arrested for violating the MCO yesterday, compared to 606 people the day before. Of the 489, 465 have been remanded while the remaining 24 were given police bail.
In total, 741 people have since been charged in court for violating the MCO, with the total number of arrests made up until yesterday standing at 21,106 individuals.
