Masidi
KOTA KINABALU: Details on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Sabah will be announced by the State Secretary, said Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun on Tuesday.
The SOPs, which were expected to be announced on June 29, have been proposed to the federal government, however they have not been approved by the Health director-general.
“Referring to the Sabah State Government media statement dated 28 June 2021 related to the implementation of the National Rehabilitation Plan – Phase 1 for Sabah, the State Government has submitted new SOPs to the Federal Government and is still waiting to be gazetted.
“This SOP recommendation was decided unanimously by the Sabah Covid-19 Disaster Management Committee chaired by the State Secretary. Among the members of this committee are the heads of departments representing the Sabah State Health Department, police and the Sabah State Security Counci.
“The State Secretary will issue a separate press statement on the SOPs,” said Masidi.
Earlier on Tuesday, Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Sabah government must abide by and adopt the SOP issued by the National Security Council (NSC) just like other state.
Ismail Sabri said the NSC had decided that there must be only one SOP to be used nationwide.
“We used to have a special dispensation where they (state governments) are allowed to tighten the SOP but the state governments cannot relax the SOP that is in force.
“For example, eateries are allowed to operate from 6 am to 10 pm. If the state governments want to limit the operating hours from 6 am to 8 pm we will permit it. But if they want to let the eateries operate until midnight, then they can’t.
“As such, I have informed the Sabah government representative at yesterday’s special meeting of the NSC that the SOP in Sabah must be the same as in every other state,” he said.
On Monday, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said that the state would allow dine-ins at eateries from Tuesday, in contrast to the SOP issued by the NSC.
This resulted in confusion on Tuesday morning when several coffee shops around Lintas, Kepayan and Penampang opened for business and allowed customers to have their meals there only to be told by patrolling health officials that they must stop doing so.
West Coast Coffee Shop and Restaurant Association chairman Yong Chee Yun said he heard rumours that that eateries had been fined or warned by the authorities for setting up tables for customers to dine in.
Yong called his members and was informed there was no truth to the rumours.
He attributed the confusion to the delay in announcing new SOPs, especially when the timing for dine-ins and capacity allowed have not been released.
“As such, we call on the government to issue SOPs as soon as possible whenever an announcement, such as that made by the Chief Minister yesterday, is made,” he said.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali said there were no compound notices issued to coffee shops that opened for dine-ins on Tuesday.
However, he said that they would wait for the National Security Council’s SOPs.
“For now, we will follow the chief minister’s announcement,” he said.
Meanwhile, Warisan youth chief Datuk Azis Jamman urged Hajiji to stand his ground on reopening Sabah’s economic sectors during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Azis said the chief minister is in a better position to decide for Sabah’s interests.
“The chief minister is made to look powerless over his own state, maybe he is taken aback when he makes an order that is not on,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.