The festive display at a shopping mall signifies CNY 2021 being the ‘Year of the Ox’, according to Chinese astrology.
SIBU: The local demand for Chinese New Year (CNY) goodies and tidbits this year has dropped drastically compared to previous years due to rising number of positive Covid-19 cases here, which has necessitated the imposition of Movement Control Order (MCO) over Sibu Division.
Shopping mall operator Dato Lau Ngie Hua said his business reported a sharp decline of 80 per cent this year to date.
“There are very few shoppers around at this time, which is an extraordinary phenomenon if compared with the situation in the previous years.
“If the current MCO period (due to end this Jan 29) were to be extended, then I would officially say that it’s a terrible CNY period for businesses this time around,” he told The Borneo Post here yesterday.
The chairman of Daesim Group said he had ordered various CNY snacks and treats in bulk, mainly from Peninsular Malaysia, late last year when the country was under the Recovery MCO (RMCO).
“We also ordered decorative items from China during the Christmas 2020 season, seeing that we were still under RMCO at the time, and there was hope for the situation to be better in 2021.
“Alas, the unexpectedly ‘explosive’ Pasar Cluster emerged, which triggered MCO 2.0 and adversely impacted my business,” he lamented.
Lau said there was nothing much that he could do, except to brace for the worse.
“Should the MCO be extended further during this time when the CNY is approaching, then we would definitely sustain a great loss in our business operation,” he said.
CNY 2021 falls on Feb 12 and traditionally, the festivities would last until Feb 26, the day of the ‘Chap Goh Mei’.
This year’s celebration also marks the ‘Year of the Ox’, according to Chinese astrology.