As you might already know, today marks the start of Malaysia’s 2-week long lockdown nationwide in order to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The country’s partial lockdown, formally known as the Movement Control Order (MCO), will be taking place from today until 31 Mar 2020.
However, with Malaysians still being spotted out and about at restaurants, it doesn’t seem like they are taking the lockdown too seriously.
Or maybe it’s because it’s only the first day.
People Still Spotted In Restaurants In Malaysia
At an eatery in George Town, Penang, a lot of people were seen sitting around waiting for their food and talking amongst one another on Wednesday today.
Although the lockdown has already come into effect, it doesn’t really seem to be bothering them too much.
“My business is not open today. I’m just here to look at the situation,” said one person, who declined to be named, according to The Star.
The food court no longer serves the tables, due to the MCO, but technically it is still possible for customers to dine in after receiving their food from the stall.
A similar situation was spotted by Malay Mail in Subang Jaya, in a restaurant located near a wet market.
A number of customers were waiting for their food, or having a meal or drink with their friends.
“We told all our customers that they cannot dine here. We also removed all our tables and chairs from the foot walk to comply with the government’s order,” one of the workers at the restaurant said to Malay Mail.
“How are we to chase them away? Our customers are mostly elderly who just want to rest for a while,” said another waiter.
Fair point.
However, not every eatery is still running operations as per usual.
Another restaurant in that area had several A4-size notices placed on its pillars and entrance to alert customers of the new rules in place due to the lockdown.
They had already removed all of their tables and chairs, and urged customers to go directly to the counter to place their takeaway orders.
“If it’s an order, then it’s the rule. It has to be followed. We cannot risk any issues,” said a cashier from the restaurant.
Restaurants Can Still Remain Open, But Not For Dine-In Customers
According to information released in an FAQ sheet by the National Security Council (NSC) in Malaysia, all restaurants can still remain open during the partial lockdown, but only for takeaways and deliveries.
This means no dine-in customers, under any circumstances.
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Some of the food delivery services that they can use to cater food to their customers include Grabfood and Foodpanda.
Shared Responsibility Of All Malaysians To Protect The Community
All public activities in Malaysia have been suspended and all offices, businesses, places of worship, and schools are closed
However, of course, there are some exceptions made for businesses that provide essential services like water and electricity.
“We cannot wait any longer until the situation becomes worse. Drastic measures must be taken immediately to stop the spread of this virus by limiting mass movements,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Wednesday (16 March).
“I ask my fellow Malaysians to always obey the order. This is our shared responsibility that we must fulfill as Malaysians who are concerned about our family, community and country.”
As of now, Malaysia has reported 673 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and the country has already seen two deaths.
Hopefully, there will be fewer people still choosing to dine outside despite the orders of the government as the days go by.
After all, it is every citizen’s responsibility to play their part in preventing the further spread of the virus in their nation.
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Just eat at home instead lah.
