BELURAN: Being in Sabah's only Covid-19 green zone, business should be better, but eateries in Beluran are struggling to make ends meet.
For Juspinah Madais, owner of Tanak Labuk Steamboat & Grill, she has been seeing red in her accounts book since the first Movement Control Order (MCO) last year.
She is looking forward to more relaxation on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as Sabah enters Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (PPN) tomorrow.
"Business has been bad since the MCO last year, to the extend I cannot afford to pay the rental. I'm glad that dine-in was allowed based on the relaxation on SOPs on June 28.
"However, it doesn't make much difference as the operating hours involving food premises and restaurants were only allowed from 6am to 8pm. My business still dropped 100 per cent.
"In my case, I'm running a steamboat business. Before the pandemic, we were open from 3pm to 10pm. Now, we open from 8am to 7.30pm due to the SOPs but who like to eat steamboat in the morning. Most of my clients prefer steamboats at night.
"So, I hope the operating hours can be extended till 10pm as the residents here have been adhering to the SOPs to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections," she said.
Echoing Juspinah, Ronay Micheal who currently manages his sister's cafe after having to let go of his restaurant since MCO last year, suggested more than two people per table for dine-in meals should be allowed as many had been vaccinated.
Ronay said this could help small food business operators like them to at least make some extra cash during the pandemic.
As Santai Cafe only has four tables and due to SOP, he could only allow a maximum of eight people to enter the premises at one time.
"Many don't want to waste time queuing up waiting, and it affected the business. So why not allow people to dine in depending on the table capacity especially for those who have been vaccinated and given a digital certificate.
"I believe Beluran district remained as green zone because all the residents here play their part to follow SOPs, so please be lenient to us.
"Grant us more relaxation on the SOPs as it was simply unfair to prevent economic activities from resuming to normal in the green zone," he said while urging the government to provide clear SOPs for Sabah to avoid uncertainty.
Meanwhile, Labuk assemblyman Samad Jamri when contacted said he understands people's plight but it's better to follow the SOPs provided by the state government to ensure Beluran district remained as Covid-19 green zone.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had announced on June 28 that the state allowed several social and economic activities to operate including dine-in in restaurants, coffee shops and restaurants in hotel premises; roadside stalls selling vegetables, fish and fruits, and barbershops with effect from June 29.
However, the relaxed SOPs was not officially endorsed by the National Security Council (NSC).
Until today the government had not announced the guidelines on the state's SOPs relaxation prompting many eateries to open their business relying only on what is reported by the media.