PETALING JAYA: Small businesses that have gotten the approval to operate during the movement control order (MCO) period can breathe a sigh of relief as they are now allowed to operate at full capacity.
This means that there is no restriction on the number of workers and hours of operation for these companies.
With businesses on the brink of survival, the move is certainly welcomed by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as they ramp up production to meet backlog orders and push for more sales.
“This is welcomed and it is a good move as it involves a lot of SMEs, ” said Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) SMEs committee chairman Koong Lin Loong.
But Koong reminded businesses that this approval is for companies that have been approved and not for whole industries.
He added that this is also in line with the government’s plan to gradually reopen the economy. He expects the government to make more announcements on further plans towards the end of the week to enable more businesses to open their doors.
“This is good news for sure. Given that we had been paying salary for the other 50% workforce that could not work, we are thankful for this approval. We are currently ramping up production, given the strong demand for spices especially during this Ramadan and Raya period.
“We expect this approval to have a great impact, especially during this period, ” said a food manufacturer.
However, companies will need to comply with strict standard operating procedures (SOP) that have been set for the respective sectors.
Koong said the various chambers and business associations would have to help ensure that their members adhere to the SOP.
Source : https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2020/04/30/small-businesses-happy-to-operate-on-full-scale#cxrecs_s