Spa, wellness operators urge govt to allow industry to reopen with strict SOP

KOTA KINABALU: Spa and wellness operators are calling for the reopening of the industry in view of the strict SOP implemented and the zero cases recorded from this sector since last year.

Malaysian Association of Wellness and Spa (Mawspa) president Dorothea Justin Moduying, representing more than 33,000 operators and workers in the spa industry, said this was vital to help those affected by the movement control order 2.0.

“There were zero cases from the spa and wellness industry since we were allowed to reopen for business in July last year. For MCO 2.0, we hope the government can reconsider allowing us to do business as usual, ” she said.

She explained that the spa and wellness industry also included those providing post-stroke treatment as well as relief from chronic pain and other therapies, among others.

Dorothea said many other sectors such as hair salons, night markets and car washes have been given the green light to operate.

“So why can’t we open too? We have been very strict in our SOP all this while, there is no reason for us to slack or do anything that could risk us closing down the industry, ” she said.

In view of this, a task force has been set up to properly monitor the SOP and activities of the spa and wellness industry players.

Dorothea said the Mawspa had been working with the Association of Malaysian Spas (Amspa) as well to set up this task force, where players are trained to adopt proper and standardised SOP when operating their businesses.

These standards and SOP are set by the National Security Council.

“Those who have successfully completed the training are given a ‘Safe2spa SOP Compliance Training’ certificate which will subsequently be displayed at their entrances, ” she said.

On another note, Dorothea said a coalition of over 40 groups including the Bumiputera Retailers Association, Hospitality Asia, Malaysian Aesthetic Health Entrepreneur Association, Malaysian Association of Certified Coaches, Persatuan Niagakawi, Wedding Professionals Association of Malaysia and Film Directors Association Malaysia, are working together to call for the reopening of certain sectors.