Supermarkets, pharmacies allowed to operate with full staff capacity during lockdown, says minister

PUTRAJAYA, May 31 — Supermarkets, hypermarkets and department stores with operations limited to food and beverages and basic necessities; pharmacies or personal care stores; mini marts, grocery stores as well as restaurants in shopping malls are allowed to operate with full staff capacity during the full lockdown which begins tomorrow.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi in a statement today said the standard operating procedures (SOP) included limiting the number of customers allowed to be in the premises at any one time based on its size.

Also allowed to operate at 100 workforce capacity is the e-commerce sector for all product categories.

Meanwhile, for seven other sectors, namely restaurants; laundry (including self-service); petrol station; pet care or pet food stores; eyewear and optical goods stores; hardware shops; as well as vehicle workshops, maintenance and spare parts shops are allowed to operate with 60 per cent of the workforce, he said.

“At least one employee is required to control the entry and exit of customers at self-service laundries,” he added.

According to Nanta, those in the distributive trade sector listed as essential services should be able to apply for permission to operate through the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) at the link https://forms.gle/3m5fMXpVBZCgTzt37 beginning today.

He said this was because the permission letters previously issued by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry would be considered void from tomorrow.

“All essential service activities in the distributive trade sector are allowed to operate from 8am to 8pm except for petrol stations, which is from 6am to 8pm, and petrol stations on tolled highways are allowed to operate 24-hours-a-day,” said Nanta.

The updated SOP for the distributive trade sector during the movement control order as well as frequently asked questions (FAQ) can be found at the website https://www.kpdnhep.gov.my.

For any further inquiries, industry players and members of the public may contact the Distributive Trade and Services Industry Secretariat (SPIP) via the hotline at 03-88826322/6587 or via e-mail to [email protected]. — Bernama