KUALA LUMPUR: Restaurants and convenience stores in Kuala Lumpur will now be allowed to operate until 2am, effective tomorrow.
Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the stand adopted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) on Sept 12 to limit the outlets' operating hours until midnight has since been reversed.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's had on Thursday announced that the National Security Council (NSC) had agreed that eateries and convenience stores nationwide would be allowed to extend their operating hours until 2am.
Operating hours had been limited to midnight when the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) was first implemented.
Annuar Musa said DBKL will be issuing a circular detailing the standard operating procedures (SOP) and date of implementation for the new operating hours, tomorrow.
"I have discussed this matter with Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham A Dahlan earlier today. He had also voiced his concern over businesses that have been suffering for months since the Movement Control Order (MCO) took effect.
"It is best to provide business operators with an opportunity to boost their income in line with the directive from the NSC at the federal level.
"DBKL will announce the mode of implementation. I hope businesses will strictly adhere to the SOP and the closing time of 2am instead of remaining open till morning ," he told a press conference at the Bukit Kiara Public Park here today.