SPAS and reflexology centres that have been closed for nearly a year should be allowed to reopen in October when workers expect to be fully vaccinated, groups representing the wellness sector said.

Otherwise, many establishments are likely to close down for good after almost a year of closure because of lockdowns due to the Covid-19 outbreak, said the Malaysian Association of Wellness and Spas (MAWSPA).

“We expect that by the end of September, all staff and therapists would be fully vaccinated, or by early October at the latest,” said MAWSPA president Dorothea Justin.

She said 80% of workers and therapists under MAWSPA have received their first vaccine dose, while 50% are fully vaccinated.

The Association of Malaysian Spas (AMSPA), meanwhile, said about 70% of staff and therapists registered with it are fully vaccinated, according to vice president Hana Halim.

According to the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) there are 433 registered operators, comprising 269 from MAWSPA, and 164 from AMSPA.

Centres are also ready to adhere to all the standard operating procedure set by the National Security Council and Health Ministry, the groups said.

MAWSPA and AMSPA together estimate that the wellness sector has faced total losses of up to RM526 million since the onset of the Covid-19 epidemic last year.

In order to survive, they are now pleading with the new government to allow them to resume business in October.

According to the national recovery plan, the sector will only be able to open in phase 4 states.

Phase 4 is when daily Covid-19 cases are fewer than 500 daily and 60% of the population are vaccinated.

But cases have continued to be in excess of 17,000 daily, and the government has said it expects Covid-19 to become endemic. The adult population vaccination rate now is more than 61%.

As such, allowing wellness centres to reopen once all workers are fully vaccinated, rather than wait for daily infection cases to drop, is the best option to save the industry, spa associations said.

Justin said half the sector’s operators will likely shut down for good if closure is prolonged beyond October.

“We estimate about 50% of our members will close down. Since October last year they have been surviving on savings, personal loans and by liquidating assets.

“This has resulted in huge debts. To retain staff, the big players have cut more than 50% of their payroll,” she said.

However, Justin said there isn’t a total estimate of the number of establishments, as an operator may have more than one or up to 20 outlets in the case of bigger operators.

“About 20 of our members have closed their outlets and another 10 are expected to close at the end of this month.

“As for the number of outlets, it is hard to gauge because some owners who have more than one may have shut down a few outlets to save costs.”

She also estimated that about half the rough number of 10,000 foreign spa therapists working in Malaysia have left the industry as a result of salary cuts or layoffs.

Licensed foreign therapists are mainly from Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand and China.

AMSPA’s Hana meanwhile, said the group expects 40% of its members to shut down if they cannot reopen in October.

Operators have had no income for around 11 months and have reduced staff, implemented pay cuts and depleted their own savings just trying to survive.

Her estimate that 70% of workers under AMSPA are fully vaccinated is for the association’s Klang Valley members, while vaccination is in progress for those in other states.

“We hope the government will allow us to operate sooner,” she said.

Hana also urged wellness centre operators who have not registered with an industry association to do so, as it will ease the process of applying for government assistance.

Spa, wellness and foot reflexology operators who are registered under Motac are eligible for a one-off financial assistance of RM1,000 under the government’s Pemulih economic aid package, but must apply by September 6. – August 29, 2021.