KOTA KINABALU: A restaurant accused of having rats on the premises has been ordered to cease operations until it has been thoroughly cleaned.
This order came after Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) officials went there to check out claims of rats and the unhygienic environment on Tuesday (May 7).
In a statement issued on Thursday (May 9), DBKK said it had indeed found traces of rat stool in the premises.
“The overall cleanliness rate is also under 70%," it read.
DBKK said the premises had been served an improvement notice on April 16, but no remedial measures were taken.
It added that the notice of closure, effective 11am Tuesday, was for the safety and health of patrons and for the operators to clean the entire premises.
The restaurant will only be allowed to reopen after follow-up inspections and cleanliness checks have been carried out to the authorities' satisfaction, the statement added.
The outlet's workers were also slapped with compounds for failing to produce health certificates allowing them to handle food.
In a separate operation from Monday to Wednesday (May 6 to 8), DBKK personnel collected and disposed of more than 97 tonnes of trash in its KK Cleanup Day 2.0 programme in Pulau Gaya and Pulau Sepanggar.
A total of 32 tonnes of rubbish were collected on the first day, followed by 24 tonnes on the second day and 41 tonnes of trash on the third day.
This amount exceeded expectations, DBKK said.
The programme was held to create awareness among villagers and business operators on the importance of taking cleanliness seriously, as well as the health benefits of clean surroundings.
Villagers from Kampung Lok Urai, Kampung Kasuapan, Kampung Lobong, Kampung Pulau Gaya Asli and Kampung Torong Logong on Pulau Gaya, as well as Kampung Pulau Sepanggar on Pulau Sepanggar took part.
