Sabah imposes one-hour limit on shoppers

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah) • The Sabah government will introduce stricter ruling for the conditional movement control order in the Malaysian state, limiting visits to malls, supermarkets, grocery stores and similar premises to only one hour as part of its coronavirus curbs.

This is compared with two hours per shopping trip imposed by the federal government.

The amended standard operating procedure will take effect today, said Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister Masidi Manjun.

He said the local authorities need to ensure that the maximum number of visitors is set at 50 per cent of space capacity.

"The rule is 200 sq ft per visitor, and not exceeding one hour," Datuk Seri Masidi said in a statement on Sunday.

The rule for Sabah on Borneo Island is stricter than the two-hour limit imposed from today by the Malaysian government.

Malaysia's Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said on Sunday: "Abide by the two-hour limit. This cooperation is important for us in our battle against the Covid-19 pandemic."

Asked who will check how long each shopper had spent in a mall or supermarket, Datuk Nanta said the ministry has a limited number of enforce-ment officers.

He said the onus is on the public to practise self-control and reduce their time spent shopping.

"The ministry has only about 2,200 enforcement officers nationwide, so we will conduct random checks at places that are popular with shoppers," he said.

The new curbs on shoppers came after the government's announcement that from today, malls, restaurants and shops can remain open only between 8am and 8pm, instead of closing at 10pm.

Malaysia yesterday reported 6,509 new Covid-19 cases, close to the record-high figure of 6,976 reported the previous day.

The Malaysia Shopping Malls Association said on Sunday that it was impractical to enforce a two-hour limit for shoppers.

"The only practical way is to put up signs at the entrance and common areas and to advise businesses to do similarly on their premises plus announcements (where applicable) to remind shoppers," it said.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK