John Teo
Jeff Chan
MIRI: The government has been urged to come up with policies to help businesses affected by the novel coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19), particularly the hoteliers as the occupancy rate at most of the hotels in Miri had plummeted to zero.
Malaysia Association of Hotels (MAH) Sarawak Chapter vice president John Teo told The Borneo Post yesterday that it is now a difficult time for hoteliers, with almost no visitors coming into Sarawak.
“Though it is pretty much the same around the world, as people have been urged to practise social distancing, we still need something to keep our business sustainable and running because we have our staff who we need to pay salary to, and we need the government to come up with policies that
could help us endure this difficult time,” said Teo in a phone interview.
He suggested that the local government either reduce or waive the assessment rate, among other fees, for all hotels which he believes could reduce the financial burden of the operators.
“Similarly, it is hoped that the government could offer discounts of, perhaps, 20 per cent or more for water and electricity bills. We are still paying taxes to the government as it is part of our responsibility, thus, we hope the government could consider our plight,” said Teo.
He added that it would not be possible to lay off staff during this period as all industries are affected.
Teo praised the government for the Economic Stimulus Package which was introduced by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, pointing out that the reduction of EPF contribution could help boost the local economy.
“If we could have more policies that could help boost the local economy, it would be a relief for everyone,” said Teo.
A local emcee, Jeff Chan, shared that most bookings for weddings and events for this month had been postponed to later date.
“I was booked for a lot of wedding events. My clients have been requesting to delay their wedding banquet for fear of Covid-19. It is understandable. I have no problem with that, as delaying these banquets is doing everyone good as social distancing is encouraged,” said Chan.
April, he added, which is the month of Ching Ming, is usually quieter than other months.
“No wedding or other special events by Chinese community, because they said it is not auspicious to hold any events during that month.”
The emcee who has been doing hosting job for more than a decade also shared that most events are postponed instead of totally cancelled, as people are keeping positive minds and are confident that the situation will be better towards the end of the year.
“I believe everyone is dealing with it positively. We have to, or else, we might be highly depressed, as there isn’t much to be done, but to hope for the best, by staying at home and frequently washing hands,” said Chan.