Limit visitors to 50% capacity, business, establishments told

While issuing a warning against non-compliance of Covid-19 precautionary measures, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) asked commercial and industrial establishments to limit the number of visitors to their firms.

“The ministry stresses the need for commercial and industrial establishments to adhere to precautionary measures and to reduce visitors to 50 per cent of total capacity”, the ministry reiterated in a statement.

DON’T LET GUARD DOWN

The directive from the ministry follows a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases and many people had let their guard down. And many commercial malls and centres as well as restaurants and cafes, have not been abiding by the precautionary measures issued by the ministry in coordination with the health ministry to control the spread of coronavirus infection.

The ministry said that officials of MoCIIP, in cooperation with other competent authorities, would intensify checks at commercial and industrial establishments to ensure compliance with Covid-19 pre-cautionary measures.

“All commercial establishments must ensure compliance with precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Coronavirus and to abide by all decisions issued by the Supreme Committee. Failure to comply with the directives will result in legal action”, the statement warned.

The measures include mandatorily wearing of masks by all, maintaining social distancing, sterilising shopping carts and surfaces, providing sanitisers to consumers, and ensuring that visitors to the facility produce a certificate of two doses of vaccine, and other health requirements.

The ministry called on consumers to use e-shopping applications provided by many centres, shops and restaurants to avoid crowding at shopping centres.

Towards the end of last year, the ministry has mandated businesses to provide electronic payment services from the beginning of this year.

The directive for electronic payment covers all activities in industrial areas and complexes, commercial centres, gift markets, food sales, gold and silver shops, restaurants and cafes, fruit and vegetable vendors, building materials, tobacco as well as transactions involving electronic items in the first phase of its implementation programme.