Several shopping malls, such as 1 Utama and Mid Valley Megamall, have reported positive cases of Covid-19 in recent weeks.
With the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) imposed, Malaysians are choosing to stay safe at home, making these malls deserted.
1 Utama temporarily closed the mall after announcing their first Covid-19 case earlier this month, when a staff member tested positive for the virus. This eventually led the mall to conduct an unprecedented mass testing for all their staff and workers.
The Bandar Utama mall reopened on 17th October after undergoing deep cleansing and sanitisation works. Even though business is running as usual, people still don’t feel safe coming there, making it feel like a “ghost town”.
Previously, the mass testing that the mall conducted initially found 21 people tested to be positive, and it was named the “1 Utama Cluster”. The number has since gone up with a total number of 183 positive cases, reported by MOH on Sunday (18th October).
Nevertheless, 1 Utama isn’t the only mall that witnessed a huge drop in visitors. A local portal’s recent visit to Mid Valley Megamall has shown it to be as deserted even on a “usually-busy” Sunday.
The mall in KL is currently open as usual from 10am to 10pm, with their tenants having flexible operating hours. Mid Valley Megamall first confirmed a positive case on 11th October when a London Sales Cosmetics Sdn Bhd (LSC) staff contracted the virus from a family member.
Even those who have to run errands at certain malls are keeping their time spent there to a bare minimum during this CMCO 2.0. An Instagram user, @livelovepassioneat, recently posted a photo on their feed showing the situation in Suria KLCC was not as packed as it usually is.
We believe the situation isn’t any different with other unmentioned malls as Malaysians are taking the recommended step by the government to stay at home during this period.
Feel free to check out the current status of malls during the CMCO here.
Sources: Info Roadblock JPJ/POLIS Facebook, WOB
