KOTA BARU: The drop in gold prices has triggered a 'gold rush' in the state capital, with customers rushing to buy jewellery.
This, however, has led to more headache for the authorities, as physical distancing has become next to impossible due to the hordes of people thronging the shops.
Customers were reportedly lining up on the pedestrian walkways outside an hour before the shops open to grab the goods on sale.
Kelantan police chief Deputy Commissioner Shafien Mamat said the police will be left with no choice but to shut down the shops if business owners continue to ignore the standard operating procedures in place to stem the spread of Covid-19.
He said 14 jewellery shop owners and their customers were issued with compounds of RM1,000 each yesterday for breaching the SOPs.
"Since Saturday, a total of 23 people have been issued with compounds for the offence.
"Six of the 14 people fined yesterday were the shop owners themselves.
"We would like to warn them that they face having their shops closed if they continue to break the SOPs," he said.
Shafien said the business owners who compounded had failed to provide necessary equipment at their premises such as temperature scanners, failure by shop owners and patrons to wear face masks, as well as the absence of physical distancing in the stores.
"The recent drop in gold prices has garnered excitement among many of the 35 jewellery shop owners in the state capital, not to mention the customers themselves.
"However, they must ensure that the SOPs in place are followed," he said.