BREWERIES are not allowed to operate during the current lockdown, said Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, adding that alcoholic beverages are not a basic need.

“Although the permission is given to factories processing food and beverages, alcoholic factories do not fall under this category.

“The government has decided today that all alcoholic beverage factories be closed with immediate effect,” he said in a statement.

This development appears to be similar to the first MCO last year, when the government made a U-turn on permits initially granted to Heineken and Carlsberg factories to operate during the MCO in April 2020.

Recently, an approval letter from the Ministry for International Trade and Industry (Miti) for Carlsberg’s brewery to operate during the current MCO was circulated on social media.

Eighteen manufacturing and manufacturing-related sectors are allowed to operate during the current six-week, phased lockdown, provided they have approval from Miti.

The first phase of the lockdown is from June 1 to 14 with the tightest restrictions, to be followed by four weeks of more relaxed conditions, if the initial phase succeeds in bringing down the number of daily Covid-19 infections. – June 1, 2021.