THE Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has appealed to the Kedah and Perlis governments to allow members to continue offering the Ramadan dine-in dinners.

In a statement, Kedah and Perlis state chapters chairman Eugene Dass said hotels had purchased additional stock and hired extra staff for the breaking-of-fast dine-ins at their premises.

“Dine-ins will help us to recover some revenue we have lost to this dreadful Covid-19 pandemic.

“MAH understands the need for authorities to impose the movement-control order to safeguard public healthcare in view of rising infections, but we are also pleading for an exemption to be accorded in view of the need to salvage its business model, which has been severely undermined by the pandemic,” he said.

Recently, the National Security Council decided to impose MCO in five districts in Kedah.

The five districts are Kota Setar, Kuala Muda, Bandar Baharu, Baling and Kulim. It is set to last until May 14.

Dass appealed to the Kedah executive councillor in charge of tourism, arts, culture, youth, sports, and entrepreneurship development, Mohd Firdaus Ahmad, to allow Ramadan dine-in dinners.

He said the breaking-of-fast dinners are a form of domestic tourism for the hotels.

“The hotels would like to extend our fullest cooperation to the authorities in ensuring that we can sustain the best practices of preventing or containing the pandemic in our respective properties.

“As the Kuah rep from Langkawi, the country’s sole tourism city, Firdaus will be able to best understand the importance of promoting tourism as a form of growing the economy,” he said.
Previously, Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said a total of 709 active cases were recorded in the five districts in Kedah.

“During the 14-day period until April 29, the Health Ministry confirmed that a total of 709 active cases were recorded in the five districts,” Ismail said. – May 6, 2021.