KUALA Lumpur City Hall will allow convenience store operators and restaurateurs to operate till 2am, said Annuar Musa.

The Federal Territories Minister said he had discussions with Mayor Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan and they have agreed that the local authority will adhere to the directive set by the National Security Council (NSC).

He said the decision will most likely be implemented on Monday.

“Just to be clear, I had discussions with the mayor and we agreed we could let them open until 2am.

“When the mayor asked for my opinion, I said businesses have had big losses due to this pandemic, which is why I told the mayor that I completely agree with restaurants and convenient stores to stay open until 2am,” said Annuar Musa after a function in the capital today.

Annuar said since NSC has given the permission to operate until 2am it will not be a problem but said operators must adhere to standard operating procedure (SOP) put in place.

The U-turn comes after City Hall yesterday said it would not carry out Putrajaya’s decision to allow businesses to operate until 2am.

“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 procedure (SOP) 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.