KOTA KINABALU: With only a week left before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the towns in Sabah would normally be teeming with visitors looking to buy essential items as well as new clothes for the celebrations.
This year however, it is different. Places which are usually congested with shoppers are now quiet following the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.
In Kota Kinabalu, Bernama found the Segama and Sinsuran areas quiet, when in previous years they would be swarmed with thousands of shoppers.
There is some cheer though, from the Hari Raya festive songs played by the business premises as they observe the standard operating procedure (SOP).
Shop assistant Aini Rhamat, 25, said it used to be that the week before Hari Raya, she and her three colleagues would be catering to the many customers looking to buy new clothes.
This year, the number of shoppers have dropped drastically and those that are around are not allowed to try the clothes at the shops, she said.
In Tawau, where previously bazaars and night markets at various locations would be busy catering to the many shoppers, the atmosphere has now become quiet.
The Tawau Municipal Council (MPT) has issued guidelines on the activities which have been prohibited during the CMCO, including banning night markets.
To local resident Hamzah Ahmad, 43, the ruling is necessary in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“It is okay not to have the night markets this year, the traders can sell online,” he said.
In Sandakan however, the town bustles with daily activities while complying with the SOP.
People throng the satellite areas here, and regardless of rain or sun, queue patiently outside the shops in compliance with the ruling to observe social distancing.
Sitti Aishah Labunda, 38, said she had to use e-hailing services as public transport now takes only half the capacity of passengers.
“I have to plan my trip into town to get my ‘buras’ (a Bugis food similar to the ketupat) so as to avoid the traffic congestion,” she said.
The Sandakan Municipal Council which suspended the coupon parking system since the first phase of the MCO has now reinstated it since May 15 in a move to reduce traffic congestion. - Bernama
