Owner of Jonker Walk's wantan mee stall alive, tests negative for Covid-19

MELAKA: The owner of Jonker Walk's wantan mee stall has tested negative for Covid-19, refuting rumours that he shared the same fate as his 54-year-old wife who died due to the pandemic.

Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong said that he visited the owner to express his condolences on Tuesday (May 25), and said that the man was saddened by the false news about him.

"The stall owner is still alive and he is currently mourning the death of his wife. He has appealed to certain individuals to stop spreading inaccurate information," he said after a visit to the man's house at Bukit Cina here.

Khoo said the wife died on Sunday (May 23) at Bukit Cina, a week after she tested positive for Covid-19, and added that rumours had surfaced that the 60-year-old man died the following day.

"Some had linked the death of another wantan mee seller from Taman Merdeka due to Covid-19 on Monday (May 24), to the Jonker Walk stall owner, ” said Khoo.

He said that the stall had been shifted to another location temporarily due to the ongoing movement control order.

Meanwhile, Jonker Walk management committee deputy chairman Datuk Wira Gan Tian Loo expressed his condolences to the stall owner.

He said this was the first casualty involving a hawker from Jonker Walk, and added that the night market will remain closed until the situation improves.

“The health and safety of the public is always a priority for us, ” he said.

Separately, Melaka CID chief Asst Supt Sukri Kaman said a team of ten officers in plainclothes will be patrolling various locations to keep a vigil on Covid-19 standard operating procedure compliance.