A GROUP of business associations has urged the government to allow businesses on the national recovery plan “negative list” to reopen, given that most Covid-19 restrictions are being eased.  

Industries Unite business leaders are concerned the negative list, which includes nightclubs and pubs, prevents them from opening, despite states being in at least phase 3 of the recovery plan.

“There is absolutely no information on the route to exit this list, which we feel may have inadvertently been overlooked, but it is of utmost urgency,” Industries Unite co-founder Irwin Cheong, representing 12 other associations, said in a statement today.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has announced that all states and territories are in either phase 3 or 4.

The Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Pahang and Labuan are in phase 4, while the remaining states are in phase 3.

With more than 90% of the population now vaccinated against Covid-19, Industries Unite appealed to the government to scrap the “negative list” with immediate effect.

The group said most countries are now preparing to welcome international tourists, but Malaysia will likely lose out to its neighbours if the government decides to keep the sectors they represent closed.

“With the entire country having vaccinated 94% of the adult population, and having accepted the fact that Covid-19 is now endemic, the opening up of the entire economy, including nightclubs and pubs, should be implemented immediately,” Cheong said.

“With the return of interstate travel and domestic tourism, we envisage international tourism to follow soon.

“The entertainment sector will be sought after by international tourists as well. If this sector is destroyed and does not rehabilitate sufficiently to operate, our country will lose one of the perks for international tourists.

“The longer it remains closed, the closer we are to total annihilation of this sector,” the statement read.

Besides this, the group said that pubs and nightclubs are losing money and people are losing their jobs, as these sectors have been kept closed since the start of the pandemic.

“The creative, entertainment and gig industry have completely lost their source of income as they are unable to perform now. Since the beginning of the pandemic, most of them have been forced to seek other work in order to survive.

“In addition to businesses, the industry estimates (at least) 150,000-250,000 (direct and indirect) jobs are at stake with the continuous closure of the nightlife and entertainment industry.

Currently, all the nightlife and entertainment outlets are in hibernation mode with the majority of our employees furloughed, supported by the wage subsidy programme, along with other sources of temporary employment.

“Should the authorities continue the prolonged closure with no exit roadmap in place, businesses will be forced to close and we will see a much larger group of claimants for the Employment Insurance Scheme in the coming days,” Cheong said. – October 22, 2021.