KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 — City restaurants that open for 24 hours daily may only open for 16 hours each day during the nationwide two-week Covid-19 shutdown, Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham A. Dahlan ordered today.

In the notice posted on the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Facebook page, the mayor said that this order was effective from today, and reminded restaurants they may not serve dine-in customers and must only provide takeaway services.

"Based on the Restriction of Movement Order as determined by the government, effective from March 19, 2020 (Thursday) until March 31, 2020 (Tuesday), all restaurants that operate 24 hours in the federal territory Kuala Lumpur are to have their operating hours limited from 6am to 10pm for the services of drive-through, delivery and takeaway only,” the mayor said in the notice.

"DBKL will take enforcement action towards any business owners that fail to comply with this order,” the order said.

The mayor also said this order was in line with the law and government regulations on measures to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak, and said that this order is subject to any changes in the latest orders from time to time.

Previously, he also issued a stern notice listing out all the businesses in Kuala Lumpur that must close during the nationwide two-week shutdown of non-essential activities from March 18 to March 31.

The mayor listed the Kuala Lumpur businesses that must be closed during this period as including shopping complexes, business complexes, entertainment premises, stalls by the roadside, food trucks, mobile hawkers, pasar malam or night markets, morning markets, pasar tani or farmers’ markets, and bazaars.

However, the mayor also said restaurants, hawker centres, food courts will be allowed to operate drive-through services, delivery and takeaways during this time.

The mayor said those exempted from closure in Kuala Lumpur comprise supermarkets, public markets in buildings, clinics, pharmacies, sundry goods stores, convenience stores and premises involved with essential services only, adding that DBKL would take enforcement action on business owners who fail to comply with the notice.