SARAWAK will allow the sale of takeaway food in the compounds of houses during Ramadan.

However, it rejects bazaars and other activities that will likely see crowds.

State Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah said food businesses run out of homes can sell from 3pm to 10pm, three hours past the 7pm cut-off for most other operations during the movement-control order (MCO).

The conditions include compliance with health protocols and food can only be sold on a takeaway basis, he said.

“Stall operators and buyers have to observe social distancing, wear masks and practise good hygiene,” he told a state Disaster Management Committee (DMC) daily briefing on Covid-19 today.

The committee has also given the nod for hotels and restaurants to open for business till 10pm during the Muslim fasting month, but the dine-in ban remains.

Karim said the move is a “practical solution”, especially for fasting Muslims who have no time to cook.

He added that small-time entrepreneurs looking to make some money during Ramadan might not be internet-savvy, thus, they are unable to promote their business online.

Food trucks, however, are still not allowed to resume operations.

Putrajaya has banned Ramadan bazaars in all forms, including the mooted “drive-through” and “pack-and-pick” alternatives, for the duration of the MCO.

On Friday, Sarawak Housing and Local Government Minister Dr Sim Kui Hian said the state will exercise its autonomy by showing “how it could be done in Sarawak”.

Dr Sim, who is holding a watching brief on health matters for the state cabinet and is one of the chief advisers in the state DMC, said some of the federal government’s decisions might not apply to Sarawak, as the situation in the state is not the same as Kuala Lumpur. – April 22, 2020.