KUALA Lumpur City Hall will not implement Putrajaya’s decision to allow businesses to operate until 2am.

It said in a statement today that the Federal Territory crisis management centre made the decision at a meeting yesterday.

“This decision to keep the opening time up to midnight is to ensure that City Hall and other agencies will be able to monitor these outlets,” it said.

The local authority said during the recovery movement control order (RMCO) period, it had carried out checks on 7,200 premises and found there was a need to step up compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) at the outlets.

On Thursday, Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said the National Security Council will allow shops to operate an additional two hours after complaints from business operators that their incomes have been affected.

“(We received) many complaints, especially in tourist spots, like Langkawi. (Shops) are forced to close at midnight and since there is no entertainment, (customers) can only eat.

“These operators asked us to extend their operating hours and we agreed to it. 

“This, however, is not just for Langkawi but all areas,” Ismail Sabri had said in a press briefing.

At the start of the MCO in March, food outlets were ordered to close, with only takeaways and deliveries allowed.

It was not until the RMCO in June that restaurants and convenience stores were allowed to operate until midnight. – September 12, 2020.