LABUAN, Sept 4 — The Labuan Entertainment Owners Association has been advised to come up with its own business operation standard operating procedure (SOP) if it were to resume operations during the extended Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO).
Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the SOP should be submitted to the National Security Council (NSC) for consideration.
“I can understand the predicament faced by the entertainment industry, considering that many industries have been allowed to resume operations.
“My advice is for them to come up with their own reasonable SOP that will be scrutinised by the NSC and a special committee headed by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri,” he said.
If the entertainment operators could give an assurance that there will be full compliance based on the accepted SOP, Annuar said there is every chance they would be allowed to operate again.
“Basically the government wants to see all sectors back to normal but at the same time, it must not allow the people’s safety and health to be jeopardised,” he told reporters after a two-day working visit to Labuan.
He said the entertainment industry players would do well to understand the do’s and don’ts during the pandemic when running their business.
“Even in the mosque, we need to control, what more nightclubs, and we don’t have enough personnel to check every single premises whether or not they are complying with the SOP.
“The best is for the industry to give us assurance and design their own SOP and make a proposal to the NSC and Ministry of Health. I’m sure they will give their best consideration,” he said.
Bernama reported earlier that at least 29 entertainment outlets and sports bars (including karaoke outlets) on the island are at risk of closure by October with the owners recording RM6 million in losses since the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18.
The losses, attributed in part to payments for monthly staff salaries, business premises monthly rentals, power supply, suppliers and overhead costs led to concerns over the bleak future of the local entertainment industry.
