KUALA LUMPUR: Some 20,000 coffee shop operators nationwide have been reminded to obey Covid-19 regulations following a proposed RM1mil legal suit against the restaurant owner responsible for the Sivagganga cluster.
Malaysia Singapore Coffeeshop Proprietors’ General Association (MSCPGA) president Datuk Ho Su Mong said the case was a wake-up call for everyone on the legal consequences for failing to obey the law.
“We support the move by residents and affected businesses in Kubang Pasu, Kedah, to sue the nasi kandar owner responsible for the cluster outbreak.
“We hope this case will set an example for all to be careful and be thoughtful of others, ” he said when contacted yesterday.
He said everyone had the responsibility to help curb the spread of the virus, particularly when efforts were being made to revive the already battered national economy.
“The nasi kandar shop owner’s carelessness led to the predicament which he is in now, ” he added.
Following the incident, Ho said the association was issuing a reminder to its members to obey the Covid-19 regulations when carrying out their businesses.
“We are sending a message to all our members to follow the regulations strictly and not to take the pandemic lightly because we just cannot afford to have another wave of infections, ” he said.
Lawyer Nizam Bashir said the civil suit against the restaurant owner might prove to be an effective deterrent for others to obey the quarantine order.
“The sentence he received seems rather lenient given that the individual was identified at four different locations despite being subjected to a home quarantine order, ” he noted.
He also said the civil suit could set a precedent on the standard of care which an individual and authorities must observe when dealing with or preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
Last week, Kedah Consumers Association (Cake) representative Mohamad Yusrizal Yusoff announced that about 100 residents, business owners and six non-governmental organisations were planning to jointly sue the restaurant owner for RM1mil.
On Aug 13, Nasi Kandar Salleh restaurant owner Nezar Mohamed Sabur Batcha, 57, was sentenced to five months’ jail and fined RM12,000 by the Jitra Magistrate’s Court after pleading guilty to violating home quarantine orders.
Nezar, an Indian national with permanent resident status, is said to be ‘patient zero’ linked to the Sivagangga cluster which has since been responsible for some 45 infections in Kedah, Perlis and Penang.
餐厅老板Sivagganga因违反家庭隔离令而被判处5个月监禁和12,000令吉的罚款。
马新咖啡茶业联合总会总会长拿督何子孟表示，此案是对所有人的警告，我们支持吉打州Kubang Pasu的居民和受影响的企业采取行动，也希望这个案子能为大家树立榜样，让所有人注意。事件发生后，该协会正在提醒其成员在开展业务时要遵守Covid-19法规。
拿督何子孟表示：“我们正在向所有成员发出信息，要求他们严格遵守法规，不要轻易大流行，因为我们承受不起另一波感染。
Nasi kandar owner 是个很好的例子 提醒大家要非常小心 处理SOP的条例。不应掉以轻心，也让他今天要面对法律的困境。
