THE Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has disallowed dine-ins at roadside hawker stalls in Teluk Kumbar.
The ban involves the area from the border of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sungai Batu, Jalan Teluk Kumbar until the Puspakom traffic light junction, Kampung Tengah as well as areas in Gertak Sanggul.
However, dine-ins at restaurants and food stalls in Teluk Kumbar are allowed.
In its latest statement, the city council said barber shops and beauty salons are allowed to operate but under strict SOPs.
Night markets in Teluk Kumbar town on Tuesday and Sungai Batu on Thursday are closed with immediate effect.
Likewise, MBPP has also closed the Teluk Kumbar pocket park and Pasir Belanda open field.
Penang Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Sing Deo clarified that the council did not ban dine-ins at restaurants or barber shops from operating in Teluk Kumbar.
Confusion arose over an earlier statement by MBPP on the matter which it later cancelled.
There was one Covid-19 case reported in Mukim 9, Teluk Kumbar on the island on Aug 14.
He also mentioned that only dine-ins at roadside hawker stalls have been disallowed in central Seberang Perai by the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP); reverting to only takeaways after three Covid-19 cases were reported there recently.
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Jagdeep said: “At this time, both the MBPP and the MBSP are back to their norm in terms of their manpower on the ground to ensure compliance with SOP.”
“I’ve received many reports (from the councils) that they have increased their patrolling and monitoring.
“We will not hesitate to take action when the SOPs are not complied with,” Jagdeep said during a press conference after the launch of the Penang Bay International Ideas Competition at Wisma Yeap Chor Ee in George Town today.
MBSP mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud, who was also present, said there was no truth in a viral message that Seberang Perai has been declared a red zone.
“I’ve received many questions via WhatsApp that there are 10 red spots in Seberang Perai. I want to say there is no red zone in Seberang Perai.
“There are only three yellow zones in Seberang Perai and one in Penang island. The first case was in Sungai Bakap Mukim 5 in south Seberang Perai district on Aug 7, and one case each in Mukim 11 and Mukim 1 in central Seberang Perai on Aug 10.”
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Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said there could only be one official communication channel with regard to Covid-19 cases and it must come from the Health Ministry in their daily press conference.
“The ministry’s announcement covers the situation for the whole country with emphasis on states that have recorded new cases.
“We do not want too many communication channels that will confuse the rakyat.
“That is what we have been holding on to in the past 100 over days. You don’t hear me announcing cases. Never, never, and never. It’s must be left to the Health Ministry to make the announcement.
“That would be the SOP for communication. That must be made very clear.
“After that, the state or local authorities can comment, make response accordingly, make appeal and reminder and all that,” Chow said.
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The fact that Penang has four new cases recently, he said, showed how fragile the situation is.
Green zones are areas with no Covid-19 cases, yellow zones with one to 20 cases, orange zones 21 to 40 cases and red zones 41 or more cases.
“One case and the green zone colour is changed to yellow zone. This is a reminder that we have always to be wary of the Covid-19 threat.
“We’ve changed the colour of the Komtar building to yellow, as a reminder that we’ve a case. So everyone is responsible to ensure the SOP is observed.
“When we get a case, there is a high possibility of the patient spreading it to other people.
“It shows how fragile the situation is. One or two cases will make us very worried and tourists will be asking whether it is safe to come to Penang.
“We don’t want that to affect their confidence. So, we have to be careful and not panic.”
He added that until contact tracing, testing, isolation and treatment if necessary have been done, the green zone status could only be restored after no new case is reported in the next 14 days and the second test is negative.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Alissala Thian
Video by Alvie Cheng