KUALA LUMPUR: The Restaurant Ali Maju branch in Wisma Rampai here, which was ordered to close when two workers tested positive for Covid-19 on Aug 14 spawning the Maju Cluster with a total of three cases (including a customer), reopened last Thursday.
This followed sanitisation and disinfection operations carried out by Kuala Lumpur Health Department workers.
Speaking to the New Sunday Times, Restaurant Ali Maju Sdn Bhd founder Datuk Dr Jawahar Ali Taib Khan said although the branch was allowed to resume operations, its workers had to be replaced since its previous 16 workers had to undergo quarantine for 14 days.
He said the two positive cases were detected after he instructed all of his workers at his restaurants to undergo the Covid-19 test as a precautionary measure.
"On Aug 13, 16 workers from the Wisma Rampai branch took the test. When the results were released the next day, two workers were suspected to be Covid-19 positive. They were asymptomatic at the time.
"I am puzzled as to how they contracted the virus because they are not part of the restaurant's service crew.
"The two workers work at night, taking care of the premises between 12am and 6am daily, when the shop is closed," he said, adding that the two foreign workers from India were subsequently warded at Sungai Buloh Hospital.
Jawahar said on Aug 14, officials from the Health Ministry visited the staff dormitory and ordered the remaining 14 workers, who tested negative, to undergo home quarantine for 14 days.
This was because the workers had shared the same house with the infected and were in close contact with them, he said.
An investigation into the cause of the infection is underway.
It was reported that apart from the two workers, a female customer who visited the branch for a takeaway meal had also tested positive for Covid-19.
When the NST visited the restaurant yesterday, only two tables were occupied. Most of the customers came for packed drinks.
There were only four workers at the restaurant and they were seen adhering to the anti-Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Jawahar said he had taken the Covid-19 test twice in a span of a week, and the results came back negative.
"My business has been badly affected ever since the outbreak. There is an 80 per cent drop in customers since we reopened. Demoralising comments were made against us on social media, which contributed to the drop in business revenue.
"My other outlets are also suffering the same fate. People think all of my restaurants are affected," said Jawahar.
Jawahar, who is also Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president, said restaurant operators should make sure their workers adhere to anti-Covid-19 SOPs.
"As a business owner, I had ensured adequate health and safety measures at all my outlets. I took the initiative to ensure they remain safe and clean.
"For example, my employees scrub the floors every two hours with antibacterial solutions.
"We also reminded them to practise good personal hygiene. As a standard practice, all tables are cleaned and sanitised after they are used by a customer," he said, adding that these were applicable to all his restaurants in the Klang Valley.