BY MAGDALENE ROGERS
KUCHING: From country leaders and politicians to Grab and Food Panda small time business owners, coffee shop owners, entertainment outlets and wine and liquor supplier owners, they all faced one very daunting obstacle in their way — the slow economic pace.
With the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping across the globe, everyone is feeling helpless when it comes to the downturn of the economy which has now become a massive global crisis.
Following the lifting of several movement control orders (MCOs) and enhanced movement control oOrders (EMCOs) recently, citizens can now breathe a little easier.
Now with the nationwide status which describes the Covid-19 as an endemic instead of a pandemic, governmental agencies and the public sector are fast to react and very eager to start their business operations.
Local wine and liquor business owner, David Chan, 51, who has been operating his business for 17 years, described the Covid-19 as the worst experience he encountered.
“Not only coffee shops but the whole entertainment nightlife scene are also very badly affected and a lot of outlets have already closed down.
“Like everyone else in business, this is the first time I am facing such a situation. To cope, I have to look for a part time job and currently I am running a curry noodle and rice stall for the past three months,” said David, a father of three children who are all already working.
“Running this stall is enough to keep my income afloat and to sustain it,” he said, adding that he hoped that with the opening of the economy, everyone will adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
When asked when he could foresee an economic recovery, he said, “Once everyone has their full vaccination, I think the economy can recover in two years’ time.
“The Covid-19 virus is not going away and it is now an endemic so I hope everyone will play his or her part by following strict SOPs so we all can enjoy a fast economic recovery,” he said.
Similarly, Chinese dumpling stall owner at King Centre, Then Sit Jun, lamented that business has really been hit hard due to the virus.
“We have dine-in customers here only for the past two weeks because of the recent MCOs which forced us to serve only take-away food,” she said.
Barber shop business owners, Liew, Lee and Ee, at Tabuan Jaya near here also welcomed the lifting of the MCOs which allowed businesses to reopen.
“It is very good as everybody needs to earn a living. We have run the barber shop business at the same shop and location for the past 30 years and we are lucky that we can still survive even during the economic slowdown,” he added.
Hence, Malaysians must pay heed to the strict SOPs should they want the smooth recovery of the economy.
