KOTA KINABALU: Eateries and supermarkets owners, as well as their staff in Sabah will be given a month to get themselves fully vaccinated before enforcement begins, says state Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
He said that the state was aware that many in the two sectors had yet to get vaccinated and they would give them time to get vaccinated with two doses of Covid-19 vaccine under the new SOP that came into effect on Thursday (Aug 12).
“Operators, workers and their customers must be fully vaccinated under phase two of the national recovery plan for Sabah,” he said in a brief statement amid various groups urging for the state to consider relaxing the ruling.
“For workers at supermarkets, hotels and restaurants around Kota Kinabalu, they can go to the SICC vaccination centre for their jabs,” he said.
However, for the next one month dine-ins customers who break any of the SOPs will only receive a warning. After this grace period, all SOPs will be enforced.
Masidi said the decision that full vaccination was a requirement under the new SOPs for the eateries and supermarkets was done to curb the spread of the virus.
“I think one month is reasonable for those involved to get themselves vaccinated quickly,” he added.
The vaccination requirement came as a surprise and many raised questions on the practicality of the SOP.
Sabah Employers Association president Yap Cheen Boon said such SOPs were impractical as only vaccinated patrons were allowed to enter supermarkets or eateries.
Such a requirement, he said, would badly hit businesses in Sabah where the full vaccination rate stood at less than 20%.
“With a stroke of a pen, only 20% of supermarket outlets and eateries will have the approvals to open, and in turn, receive up to 20% of customers at any time,” he said, adding that it was an uphill battle for the state government to tackle both rising infections and a sinking economy.
Yap said businesses without fully vaccinated employees should be allowed to operate, with weekly screening tests conducted on employees paid for by businesses and submitted to the Health Ministry for monitoring.
West Coast Coffee Shop and Restaurant Association chairman Yong Chee Yun also raised the issue of low vaccination rates in Sabah.
He said that many of their members would be severely affected as their workers have yet to receive their first dose while the customers too were largely unvaccinated.