KUALA LUMPUR: Food and beverage operators are soldiering on despite the lack of business yesterday as the nation went into a 14-day lockdown.
They are hoping for better days to come as people complied with government directives under the Movement Control Order 3.0 to reduce movements to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission.
Noriah Fakimin, who runs a keropok lekor stall in Pantai Dalam here, did not allow the lack of customers yesterday to dampen her spirits.
The 60-year-old has been operating her stall at Jalan Pantai Permai 1 for four decades. She was grateful that petty traders like her were allowed to operate under MCO 3.0.
"I am thankful because I get to open my stall unlike the first MCO, when it was banned. I sat at home for almost five months not doing anything. I was worried as I had lost my income.
"These days, I am not selling much and I cannot even earn RM100 a day because fewer people are coming out.
"But I am happy the government gave us a chance to earn an income. Although it is not much, I am undeterred and I make my way here every day from my house in Gombak," said Noriah, who runs her stall with her 23-year-old son, Muhammad Azri Sudin.
The first day of lockdown yesterday saw fewer than 10 food stalls out of the usual 30 operating along the food haven for Pantai Dalam folk.
In the Petaling Jaya suburb of Kota Damansara, restaurant operator Colin Yap said it was too soon to surmise how bad or good his business would be.
But the busy foot traffic and long line of cars parked along the roads around Sunway Nexis, where his restaurant Rail Canteen is located, made him optimistic.
He said the area was like a ghost town during last year's MCO.
""I had regular customers, but despite it being a little dull today, I am optimistic it will pick up in the days to come.
"Having said that, it is not enough for us, or any full-service restaurants, to sustain business if this drags on."
Yap is banking on the business of regular customers and deliveries as the usual crowd in the commercial area has become lighter in recent days. To cut losses, Yap has reduced the restaurant's opening hours and deployed a skeleton staff of four on shifts instead of the usual seven.
In Kuala Lumpur's Brickfields, Nanba'Z Corner food truck operator Arwin Kumar feared his business might fold if the lockdown was prolonged.
"I started this business last month and it went well until the lockdown was announced. My regular customers are usually office workers and mall (Nu Sentral) visitors.
"Since the mall is closed and many are working from home, business is bad today. So far today, I have not had a single customer.
"If this situation continues, I will be struggling to pay my truck rental," he said, adding that the government should provide assistance to affected traders.
Arwin added that while he understood that the lockdown was needed to stem the spread of Covid-19 infections, the government should act fast to ensure businesses recover.
It was quiet at the Nu Sentral mall, which normally would be a hive of activity because of the adjecent KL Sentral transport hub, which itself was almost deserted as most office workers were working from home.
At Mid Valley Megamall, people were seen buying groceries at several supermarkets and leaving the premises within the two-hour limit set by the government.
Many kiosks and several restaurants, although categorised as an essential food and beverage business, were closed.
At the mall's entrance, security guards checked everybody's MySejahtera profile, allowing entry only to those the contact-tracing app assessed to be low risk with no symptoms or casual contacts with no symptoms.
Guards also ensured visitors complied with Covid-19 standard operating procedures.
