By Nancy Nais
KUCHING, July 14: The Kuching City South Council (MBKS) will implement a new policy that requires all its market, hawker and coffeeshop license holders to be fully vaccinated before they can resume business.
A dialogue session between MBKS and these group of businesses was held yesterday, in which mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng said all of them agreed and supported the new policy.
“Once the policy is implemented, all of these market, hawker and coffeeshop license holders who want to operate or resume their business must be fully vaccinated.
“MBKS will issue a certificate or sticker to those who have completed both doses. They can display the sticker on their stall as proof that they are fully vaccinated.
“We are doing this to ensure that markets and hawker centres were a safe environment for the community. At the same time, this is to encourage business owners and their workers to go for the vaccination,” Wee said during a food aid distribution initiative at KMC flats this morning.
The new policy will also include all visitors and customers to markets, hawkers and coffee shops under MBKS jurisdiction who are required to produce evidence of full vaccination prior to entry.
Currently, some 80 percent of these market, hawker and coffeeshop operators have received either their first or completed two doses of the Covid-19 vaccines.
Wee further explained that when the council plans a new policy, it is important to practice public consultation and feedback because the policy is by the people and for the people.
“We make sure that we have proper consultation and discussion with these people, and yesterday, all of them supported what we have put up. After this, we will put it in the standing committee and thereafter forward it to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.
However, he cautioned that the certificate is only for those who have obtained a legal council license. — DayakDaily
