KUALA LUMPUR: Several economic activities will be allowed in states under the National Recovery Plan's (NRP) Phase One from tomorrow (Aug 16), said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
They are carwashes, electrical and electronic shops; house and kitchen appliances; furniture, sports equipment outlets, car accessory outlets, car sales and distribution centres; morning markets and farmers' markets; fashion and accessories shops; jewellery shops; and hair salons and beauty centres (for cutting hair services only).
He said the decision to reopen these sectors was made after taking into consideration assessment risk data by the Health Ministry and engagement with stakeholders by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.
"For clothes, fashion and accessories; jewellery, as well as hair salons and beauty centres; there will be additional health SOPs (Standard Operating Procedure) that must be adhered to.
"These include wearing gloves, limiting hours of dealings between staff and customers; as well as prohibiting the use of fitting rooms," he said in a statement today.
Muhyiddin said the SOP was set to ensure the safety of employees and customers and prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Business operators in the listed sectors must also ensure their customers produce their Covid-19 digital certificate as proof of full vaccination before allowing them to enter the premises.
An individual is deemed to have received full vaccination 14 days after the second dose (for vaccines with two doses) and 28 days after a single-dose vaccine.
Muhyiddin clarified the latest privileges applied to all phases on condition that 50 per cent of the adult population in that particular state has been fully vaccinated.
"For instance, up to Aug 14, the full vaccination rate for the adult population (aged 18 and above) in the Klang Valley had reached 64.7 percent.
"Hence, individuals who are fully vaccinated in the Klang Valley are able to enjoy the privileges when they come into force," he said, adding that details would be issued by the National Security Council soon.
Muhyiddin had on Aug 8 announced privileges for fully-vaccinated people in the social sector, including inter-district and interstate travels for parents to visit children aged below 18 nationwide, as well as dine-in and sports activities for states under Phase Two and above.
"I'm also aware of eatery operators who display information on their staff who are fully vaccinated to help customers make decisions as they patronise the outlets.
"Some premises owners even waited for all their employees to be fully vaccinated before allowing dine-in activities to ensure a safer environment," he said, adding that it was a wise move.
Muhyiddin said he understood the frustrations among those living in states under NRP Phase One as they were unable to enjoy the privileges announced prior to this, but stressed that the decisions were made only after careful deliberation due to the current pandemic situation.
He said many activities were halted during the pandemic, including the basics like buying household items and hair-cutting.
"The government realises the huge risk on people's mental and physical health, the longer these activities are restricted.
"The government also sees that it is of utmost importance that the economic sector is reopened in stages or else the impact on business owners and employees would be dire."
NRP coordinating minister Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz had previously stated that the NRP Phase One's main objectives were to reduce daily Covid-19 infections, increase vaccination rates, encourage states to transition to Phase Two and reduce bed occupancy rates in Intensive Care Units (ICU).
Muhyiddin had also once said that the government, through the Greater Klang Valley Special Task Force (GKVSTF) and Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF), had been working hard to alleviate the situation in the Klang Valley.
"Alhamdulillah, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a Press conference on Aug 13 had said Operation Surge Capacity (OSC) in Klang Valley since July 26 had seen a drop in Covid-19 hospitalisations for all age groups.
"We have also seen positive developments from the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme (NIP) in several states, namely in the Federal Territory of Labuan, Sarawak, Negri Sembilan and those in the Klang Valley (Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya)."
He said for the first time yesterday (Friday), no new infection was reported in Labuan, while data by the Health Ministry showed that all states had seen a drop in patients from Categories 3 to 5 while Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 40 per cent of the population.
At the same time, he said data from the Crisis Preparedness Response Centre (CPRC) for hospitals has shown that the situation at the emergency department has improved in the Klang Valley.