Partial shutdown: Ministry releases FAQ on retail, food sector

CORONAVIRUS | The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has released an FAQ concerning the operations of the retail and food sector as the movement control order to curtail the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus come into effect today.

The basic restrictions imposed between March 18 and 31 are as follows:

• Restaurants, food courts and other food operations can remain open, but only for takeaways and drive-through. No dine-in is permitted.
• Retail stores providing food and daily essential needs may remain open.
• Supermarkets are encouraged to control the unnecessary purchase of food items and daily essential goods.
• E-commerce and online shopping services are allowed to operate.
• Night market (pasar malam) and farmers’ market (pasar tani) are not allowed to operate.

Here is the FAQ in full:

Are distribution centres allowed to operate as usual?

Distribution centre operations that involve the supply of essential daily needs and food comprise e-commerce warehouse, and supporting warehousing services are allowed to continue operating.

Are restaurants, ready-to-eat sections (RTE)/bakeries allowed to operate?

Restaurants, RTE/bakeries can remain open, but only for takeaway and drive-through or through delivery services by certain companies such as Grab and Food Panda.

Dine-in and eat-in are not permitted.

How about food court operations and tenants operating in hypermarkets?

Food courts can remain open but only for takeaways or through food delivery services by certain companies such as Grab and Food Panda.

Dine-in and eat-in are not permitted.

Only tenants operating in the pharmaceutical industry are allowed to continue operating within hypermarkets.

What about retail operations in shopping malls, such as anchor tenants?

Retail operations (only involving food and daily essential needs) in shopping malls may continue based on negotiations between the premise owners and tenants.

What of eateries/ sundry stores/ convenience stores located in specialty stores?

Eateries/ sundry stores/ convenience stores (kedai serbaneka) in specialty stores alone are allowed to operate as normal, however, only for food takeaways or through delivery services by certain companies such as Grab and Food Panda.

Dine-in and eat-in are not permitted.

Are the head offices of retail companies allowed to operate?

Head offices of retail companies are allowed to continue operating as normal. However, company management must ascertain the sectors/ departments/ units that must be classified as essential services to go to work at the head office premises.

However, sectors/ departments/ units not providing essential services must take measures to work from home.

Will the ministry issue any statement to restrict the purchases of every consumer?

The ministry encourages supermarkets to practice their own control to address consumers’ purchase of food and daily essential goods at unreasonable amounts.

What of departmental stores that contain supermarkets and homeware/ fashion/ food courts?

Only supermarkets selling food and daily essential goods are permitted to operate within departmental stores.

Are self-service launderettes (dobi layan diri) allowed to operate?

No. Self-service launderettes cannot operate throughout the movement control order period to prevent people from gathering.

Are security guard services at supermarkets allowed to continue?

Services related to security may continue.

Are e-commerce services considered essential services?

Yes.

Are online shopping, delivery to and installation at the customer’s home allowed?

Yes.

Are customer call service centres allowed to operate?

Yes.

Are renovation works on business premises allowed to continue?

Ongoing renovation works must be postponed.

If there are safety issues, the company must obtain approval from the Works Ministry and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) for renovation works to continue.

Do delivery of non-food items such as sanitary napkins count as essential items?

Yes.

If all shopping malls are to close, are stores in airports also included?

Only tenants operating in the pharmaceutical industry, supermarkets, sundry shops and convenience stores (kedai serbaneka) selling daily essential goods are permitted to continue operating at airports.

Dine-in and eat-in are not permitted.

Are third-party service providers allowed to operate to aid the operations and supply chain critical for the viability of businesses?

Services that have a direct impact on security and supply are permitted to operate. Users and third parties must take into consideration health factors by wearing face masks and using hand sanitisers.

Are waste collection companies at supermarket premises/ sundry stores/ convenience stores allowed to operate?

Yes.

Are the quota on rice, sugar, oil and flour allowed exceeding the licence quota given allowed to be stored?

Companies must abide by the licence quota issued by any regulatory agencies. Even so, the matter can be considered based on a case-by-case basis.

Are night market and farmers’ market allowed to operate?

No.