WITH their income hitting rock bottom and no respite from the Covid-19 pandemic, cybercafes across the country have fallen like bowling pins.
Based on statistics provided by the Malaysian Cybercafe Owners Association and the Selangor and KL Cybercafe Owners Association, more than 300 cybercafes have bitten the dust between March 18, when the movement control order (MCO) was enforced and June 9, when the conditional MCO (CMCO) was lifted.
Another 50 are believed to have closed shop post-CMCO.
China Press, quoting the president of both associations, Bronson Chuah, reported yesterday that more than 100 of the cybercafes that “succumbed” to the pandemic between March and October were located in Selangor.
Chuah predicted that more cybercafes in Selangor, which are barred from operating since the enforcement of the CMCO, will be forced to close down for good.
On the state government’s order for cybercafes to suspend operations during the current CMCO citing National Security Council standard operating procedures (SOP), Chuah pointed out that based on the council’s SOP, cybercafes are allowed to operate during the CMCO.
He lamented that while cybercafes in Selangor are not allowed to operate, those in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, which are also under a CMCO, are not affected.
Chuah said with the CMCO extended for another two weeks to Nov 9 and possibly beyond, the future for the remaining 350 or so cybercafes in Selangor looks bleak.
