KUCHING: This Chinese New Year would be a simple festival.
Being used to hosting big family reunion dinners, Viviana Hui Sia described the occasion this year would be about safe celebration.
She will only visit her close family members and there will be no open house for her friends and colleagues, she said.
“Usually in the past, we used to organise gatherings over several days where more than 20 people would visit my house,” she told New Sarawak Tribune when met on Sunday at CityOne Mall here in Kuching.
Despite the gloomy mood, the 39-year-old private sector employee said the much-muted CNY would mean that more money could be saved.
“The preparation would not cost me much to buy essentials like snacks and drinks. This year I only buy one crate of beverage.
“Covid-19 (pandemic)has deeply affected everyone. This year we will hold reunion dinner on Chinese New Year Eve in smaller groups,” she said.
Housewife Florence Lee also viewed this CNY as the best time for her to add up to her savings.
The 28-year-old mother said the essentials that she bought were in small packages of limited quantities.
“It’s kind of defeating the purpose of the traditional ‘all must try’ and affects Chinese New Year shopping,” she said.
“We are minimising the spending and consuming less if you’re short on funds. For me, we would not even think of asking for angpow or bonuses.
“My family and I will try to go to public places with festival decor, but considering the extent of hygiene and crowd regulations, it’s likely that this year will call for a different experience,” she said.
Bun Seong Ping, who works at one of the vendor stalls selling CNY hampers, said sales of the hampers were encouraging.
“We expect to receive more customers in the next few days,” he said.
For food and beverage vendors like Khairul Mohd Ali, 20, who sells at roadside of the Waterfront in the city centre, the drastic drop in number of walk-in customers and visitors coupled with extensive health standard operating procedures (SOPs) on utensils had taken a heavy toll on their business and cash flow.
Khairul said he was unsure if their businesses would recover by the end of the year.
“Prior to Covid-19 (pandemic), this place was thronged with locals and their families who came here to eat,” he pointed out.
Uncle Ah Tong who sells rojak, when asked if he would raise the price, he said it would be his wish if things were easier said than done.
As much as he wanted to drive in the revenue sales, he said simply increasing the price would not be able to help his small stall to survive.
“I hope there will be more subsidies given by the state government. We are truly grateful for the assistance,” he added.
Waterfront, which usually will be peaked by tourists during Chinese New Year holidays, today has turned into emptiness.
Small vendors are unsure of how long their businesses can continue to stay afloat.
