KUCHING: Any form of Movement Control Order (MCO) would definitely affect businesses, especially those involved in food and beverage as well as retail operations.
Nevertheless, Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Sarawak (ACCCIS) secretary-general Jonathan Chai believed that the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) had made a wise move in enforcing the Conditional MCO (CMCO) in view of the recent development in Covid-19 situation in the state.
The CMCO for Sarawak, in force until Jan 26, was imposed following the three-digit daily record of new Covid-19 cases over the past several days.
“There’s every reason for us to stay vigilant and remain cautious, and I think it’s understandable why the government decided to enforce the CMCO,” he told The Borneo post here.
Chai believed that the SDMC had consulted with experts and considered their opinions before ‘making this difficult decision’.
“This is not a choice between life and economy, but a decision of balancing between lives and livelihood – a decision that you could not possibly please everyone.
“With the sudden surge in the number of positive cases recently, it has dented our hope for a sooner recovery of our economy.”
Chai also opined that ‘working from home’ would soon become a ‘culture’, especially for those in certain professional and services sectors, and also in the large cities.
“In fact, this could save a lot of time and money for some employees, as it could cut down travelling time and frequency, and avoid (workers from having to go through) traffic congestion.”
On inter-state and inter-district travel ban under the CMCO in Sarawak, Chai believed that things would still be ‘manageable’ for the affected business operators.