SHOPPING centres will continue strict gatekeeping to ensure the safety of shoppers , said the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association after some of its members were fined for not providing record books for registration.

It said malls preferred shoppers to check in with MySejathera to verify their vaccination status before entry.

“The use of the record book is an obvious loophole for unverified shoppers to gain entry, without any way for the mall personnel to verify their self-declared health status and most malls do not encourage the use of these books,” it said in a statement today.

“Even though malls lose shoppers and gain more complaints and brickbats by doing so, we are adamant to ensure strict and verified gatekeeping so as to keep everyone safe, thereby upholding the authorities’ call not to be lackadaisical about SOPs (standard operating procedures) in the current scenario where Covid-19 is already endemic.”

It said malls had to comply with the SOPs of both the National Security Council (NSC) and local authorities.

The NSC requires people to check into commercial and public premises with MySejahtera or on registration logbooks provided by the owners of the premises.

The group said manual check-ins would only be allowed in locations without internet coverage or if the person had a reasonable excuse for not owning a handphone.

“As most, if not all, shopping malls are located where there is internet coverage, we insist that after the mandatory temperature check of below 37.5C, all shoppers’ health status (must be) low risk or casual contact – low risk (no symptoms) as determined by MySejahtera before they are allowed entry by scanning the malls’ location QR code. This is the only and sure way of safeguarding that only ‘safe’ shoppers are allowed entry,” it said.

Some malls have also introduced rules of their own, such as having their employees and contractors regularly tested.

“Why then are we being unwittingly penalised and stymied even though we are merely trying to uphold the safety of our community? We are distraught and dismayed to be informed that we still have malls being fined RM10,000 for not providing the record book (the ‘loophole’) in the Klang Valley where internet coverage is obviously well provided,” it said.

Some malls in the Klang Valley are only allowing entry to fully vaccinated shoppers with some exemptions.

“We will continue to abide by the SOPs issued by the authorities and look forward to the continued and coordinated support by all the authorities to apply equitable decisions to encourage and maintain SOP compliance and not to be stymied by unfair discrimination in our nation-wide goal to crucially control the pandemic in our midst,” it said.
Malaysia reported 5,755 new Covid-19 cases yesterday.

The Klang Valley accounted for 1,948 cases, or 34% of the cases. – November 25, 2021.