GEORGETOWN: People are still crowding the Air Itam market here despite warnings and instructions by the authorities to comply with the Movement Control Order (MCO).
A Penang City Council (MBPP) traffic unit enforcement team was seen patrolling the area twice and using hailers to tell the public to disperse but their orders fell on deaf ears.
Apart from parking their vehicles haphazardly, the customers were even seen seated on stall benches waiting for their food orders.
Food deliverer Mohd Izham Sukri, 38, said people had been crowding the area every morning for the last three days.
What was more worrying, Izham said, was that some of them were not even wearing face masks.
“I have been living here for 20 years. The area is always full of people, especially during festivities. It is hard for the authorities to disperse them.
“There were more people yesterday. But the crowd today remains a concern.”
A video of the crowd went viral yesterday, which showed the crowd ignoring instructions by patrolling enforcement teams.
MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang when contacted said his enforcement would continue patrolling the area and if traders continue to flout the MCO, their business licences could be revoked.
“We have advised them to close down. But if they refuse to heed our instructions, we will revoke their licence, which is a stringent measure that will be taken seeing that they are taking the Covid-19 outbreak for granted.”