Big Pharmacy staff arranging the facemask stock in store in Pandan Jaya on September 08. - AZMAN GHANI/The Star
JOHOR BARU: Despite the lifting of face mask requirements, hoteliers and restaurant owners here hope their customers will continue to don face mask as much as possible.
They said that while they would not make the use of face mask mandatory at their respective premises, they would continue to encourage customers to wear it, especially when indoors.
General manager of a resort in Skudai, Sunny Soo, said that more notices and posters would be put up around the resort to remind visitors to put on their face masks.
“We cannot force them to wear face masks, the most we can do is encourage them to do so by putting up more reminders.
“We hope visitors will continue to wear their face masks, especially in crowded areas, to avoid the spread of Covid-19. However, the final decision lies with them,” he said.
Owner of a hotel in Johor Baru town, Alice Chan echoed similar views, stressing that her workers had been advised to wear their face masks as often as possible for their own safety.
“I understand that we need to adapt to things going back to normal sooner or later, but I personally feel that it is a little too soon for us to take off our face masks now.
“I can only advise my customers and workers to wear face masks but they get to decide it themselves. For me, I will continue to don my face mask in public places,” she added.
Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Johor chapter chairman Ivan Teo said that it was important for visitors to continue wearing their face masks, especially when they are in enclosed air-conditioned common areas.
“As it is school holidays now, families will be bringing their young children to visit hotels and resorts. It would be less risky for them if people continue to wear face masks.
“We also receive many foreign visitors coming from all over the world who may spread Covid-19 and other diseases or could even carry it back to their home countries.
“These are among the reasons we highly recommend that our guests and workers wear face masks although it is no longer mandatory for them to do so,” he said.
Johor Indian Muslim Entrepre-neur Association (Perusim) secretary Hussein Ibrahim said it was too soon for the public to take off their face masks, as the number of Covid-19 cases were still relatively high at times.
“People should still wear their face masks indoor and we need to remember that the pandemic is not entirely over yet,” he said.
