KUALA LUMPUR: Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in Malaysia are worried over the impact of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) outbreak on their businesses.
Small and Medium Enterprises Association (Samenta) Malaysia said some of its members had reported a slowdown in business, particularly those in the retail, tourism and distribution trade.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and are in touch with various government agencies to identify issues that may crop up and to find ways to mitigate the impact to members,” said Samenta’s Policy and Government Relations chairman Datuk William Ng.
He said the association also called upon Malaysians not to spread unverified news on the virus.
“We should adopt an evidence-based approach to handling the situation, and defer to the experts in the Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation for directions,” he said in a statement today.
He also called upon all Samenta members to remain vigilant, and to educate all their employees on the right preventive measures to minimise risk, without resorting to panic or over-reaction.
There has been an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, with 34,887 confirmed to have contracted the deadly disease worldwide.
Of that total, 34,569 are in China — representing a rise of 3,401 more cases in a single day. And 86 more people died from the virus on Friday, bringing the Chinese death toll to 722. A further 5,000 remain in a “severe” or “critical” condition.
As of today, Malaysia has recorded 16 positive cases.