KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) today announced that the sale of alcoholic beverages is strictly only allowed at convenience stores or supermarkets and not specialised shops such as liquor stores.

In a statement this evening, DBKL said the general standard operating procedure (SOP) as listed by the National Security Council (NSC) deemed that only premises involved with food and beverages are allowed to operate from 8am to 8pm daily which also includes convenience stores and supermarkets.

"Premises that specifically sell liquor are not allowed to operate during this period but the sale is still allowed at the premises of convenience stores or supermarkets,” DBKL said.

Earlier today, The Star Online reported Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Azmi Abu Kassim as saying that premises that sell alcoholic beverages as part of their business along with food and other drinks are still allowed to operate.

He said that such premises will be allowed to operate as long as it is approved by the relevant departments or ministries.

He said the business premises in Taman Sri Hartamas that were ordered to close had violated the approval by the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) to sell food and beverages during the movement control order.

"Brickfields police received a complaint that the premises were solely selling alcoholic beverages in Plaza Damas, but it obtained Miti approval to sell food and beverages and was thus violating the approval given by Miti,” Azmi was reported saying.

Prior to this, Brickfields district police chief Asst Comm Anuar Omar said that police inspected a business premises selling alcoholic beverages in the district and instructed it to be closed for violating the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOP).

He said police received information that went viral on social media that the said premise was selling alcoholic beverages after obtaining approval from Miti to sell food and beverages.