File photo showing a coffeeshop without any tables or chairs set up for dining in.
KUCHING (May 16): Some members of the public interviewed by The Borneo Post are in agreement that the no dine-in directive at eateries should also be extended to June 7 along with Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) which was supposed to end on May 17.
The extension was announced by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee yesterday, as the number of new Covid-19 cases were still high.
Moses Joseph, 55, engineer, said that the extension for no dine-in at eateries should be continued as some people are still stubborn about complying with the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“Look at China — after a three-month lockdown, there’s hardly any new Covid-19 cases because the people there really comply with government directives,” he said.
He added that if people were allowed to dine-in, they would not be very disciplined in observing the SOPs.
He believed that this would ensure people have less physical contact with one another thus reducing the risk of spreading the disease.
For private sector employee Muhammad Fuad Ramli, 24, he supported the SDMC’s decision to impose no dine-in at eateries throughout the CMCO as it is a good move in curbing the spread of Covid-19.
He witnessed people at eateries in the city area not taking the current situation seriously and carrying on as everything is normal, with some not observing physical distancing and even coming together in a group of more than four people
“If we decided to help the government to curb the pandemic by not dining-in at eateries, I believe it can help towards flattening the curve and reducing the number of daily cases in the state.
“If this is the sacrifice we must make, why not? It’s not forever, just until June 7. Let us come together and cooperate and work together in breaking the cycle of Covid-19 infection,” he said.
James Zebedee Empati, 26, business development executive, also agreed that the prohibition should be extended.
“No doubt I love eating out but I don’t mind staying home and ordering in or getting take-away if it means it can reduce the number of Covid-19 cases here.
“The Covid-19 positive cases fluctuates and we in Kuching have not seen a single-digit record for months. Most cases are either asymptomatic or from social gatherings. Imagine when you are in a coffeeshops or bars or restaurants and there’s no way for social distancing,” he said.
He also agreed that heavier penalties should be imposed throughout CMCO against those who flouted the SOPs.