KUALA LUMPUR: The Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) enforced in the Masjid India district and nearby areas is deemed necessary due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the heart of the city.
The owner of a restaurant in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman described the EMCO as a bitter pill to swallow.
Declining to be named, she said this was because, with the EMCO, her decades-old business, which had been in decline since the MCO was enforced on March 18, would continue to suffer.
However, she said, she would keep her spirits high as she was confident the government was doing its best for the people and the country.
“The EMCO is no doubt needed in the district and I fully support this decision. I am glad that the government has taken such a step, which is similar to the Chinese government imposing lockdowns in severely affected areas.
“We will comply with the directive as it is good for the country. The situation here is getting serious. This is no longer a storm, but rather a tsunami of Covid-19.
“The health and safety of the people are important.
“We need to overcome this as soon as possible to bring back the life and vibrancy of the Masjid India district and the surrounding areas,” she told the New Straits Times yesterday.
She said her business would be temporarily moved to a central kitchen nearby during the two-week EMCO period until April 28.
To sustain her business, she said, she would offer delivery services even though she could barely cover the cost of running her business, despite introducing a set lunch menu.
“I need to keep my business going and I am doing this to keep my staff motivated during these tough times.”
She called on everyone, not just residents in the EMCO areas, to play their part in fighting the pandemic.
“I am sure I am not the only person who is sad their restaurants have to be temporarily closed. We need to overcome this together. If everyone adheres to the EMCO and MCO, hopefully, in two to three weeks, we will be able to contain the outbreak and go back to our normal lives.
“To cope with our losses, I hope the public can help us by dining at food and beverage outlets when the MCO is lifted.
“They can consider that as charity as we need all the support to survive.”
She said landlords should be sympathetic toward their tenants and offer to waive rent or consider taking a percentage of revenue to help businesses get back on their feet.
Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Dr Ameer Ali Mydin said about 90 of his employees lived in the area placed under the EMCO.
“We keep in touch with them on a daily basis and they are being fed well. They get three vegetarian meals a day. The only issue is that they are bored to death.”
He said the establishment and a few other businesses in the area had collected cash to distribute care kits consisting of dry food and toiletries to the residents.
Ameer Ali, who is Masjid India Business Owners Association president, said stakeholders in the area had been called for a meeting with the Federal Territories Ministry’s representatives yesterday to provide information on employees’ whereabouts.
This was to ensure that all of them were screened for Covid-19.
Ameer Ali said his two shops and all other establishments in the area had closed since Tuesday due to the uneasiness of staff and road closures.
Source : https://new.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/04/584467/business-will-suffer-emco-vital