Members of the public having their temperature taken before entering the Central Market.
SIBU: The crowd entering the Central Market seems to be under control with everyone following the standard operating procedure (SOP) required at the five main entrances.
According to the chairperson of Sibu Central Market Hawkers Association, Tiong Hie Kwong, so far most members of the public had been cooperative, with Rela and the security guards on duty at ease in taking the body temperature of everyone walking in.
“The queues on last Monday and Tuesday were really long. I understand why some of them grumbled – they were standing under the hot sun.
“When it is their turn to enter the market, we could not let them enter because their body temperature was high. They did not have fever; their temperature was so high because they had been standing under the hot sun for so long,” she told The Borneo Post yesterday.
She added that Rela would ask these people to sit down for a while to cool down before entering.
“Normally, after sitting down for a few minutes, their body temperature will be back to normal. So, that is what we were facing before,” she said.
On the long queues at the five entrances, she explained it was because members of the public were required to register their name and details before entering, and some people, especially senior citizens, would take some time to fill up the forms given.
After Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) decided to stop the name registration, the long queue finally subsided.
She said temperature taking would be from 8am until noon every day and the crowd would be smaller from afternoon onwards but expected the crowd to be bigger during weekends.
On the hawkers and stall operators, she said so far, they had been very cooperative and were still operating their businesses on rotation.
Meanwhile, SMC Market and Petty Traders Standing Committee chairman councillor Albert Tiang said the council might have to control the crowd at the five entrances if the Central Market gets too crowded this weekend and days leading to Hari Raya and Gawai.
“So far everything is fine. Our enforcement officers are always there patrolling, if they see people crowding at one place, they will disperse them,” he said.
He encouraged everyone to wear face mask every time they enter the central market.