KUCHING: A business premises here was ordered to close while four others were slapped with compounds during an operation to check on the recovery movement control order (RMCO) compliance on Tuesday.
Thirty-three premises in the Tabuan Tranquility area — 15 retail outlets, 13 eateries, four barber shops-hair salons and one beauty salon — were checked from 9.30am until 12pm.
Environmental Health chief Billy Sujang, who led the operation, said a retail outlet was ordered shut for violating the standard operating procedure (SOP), such as not recording the temperature of individuals entering the outlet.
“The outlet also did not do any cleaning, disinfecting nor sanitisation as per SOP.
“It was served with a seven-day closure order. Though the closure order is for seven days, it can reopen sooner if we are satisfied that the proprietor had rectified the mistakes,” he said in a statement.
On June 19, a retail outlet at Bandar Riyal, Samarahan was the first business premises to be served with the closure order during an operation carried out there.
Four other premises were issued with compounds for various SOP violations under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Regulations (Measures on the Carrying Out of Activities in Infected Local Areas) 2020.
The operation involved 25 personnel comprising 19 from the Ministry of Health, four from Kuching District Police Headquarters, and one each from the Armed Forces and Civil Defence Force.
Billy also said six notices were issued to individuals caught smoking in an eatery, an offence under Regulation 11(1)(d) of Control of Tobacco Products (Amendment) Regulations 2018.
“Two notices were issued for offences under 12(1)(b) of the same regulation, to proprietors found providing ashtrays and other items that encourage people to smoke, while two other notices were under Regulation 15 for possessing contraband cigarettes.
“The operation that we carried out was not just to check on SOP compliance during the RMCO, but also to enforce the smoking ban in eateries,” said Billy.
Similar operations would be carried out in other parts of the state soon, he said.
In the statement, Billy also commended responsible business proprietors who complied with the SOP.
“Let us all work together to break the chain of transmission,” he said.
