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Selasa, 05 Mei 2020

Coronavirus: Rush on pawnshops as cash-strapped Malaysians hock valuables - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Many cash-strapped Malaysians have been flocking to pawnshops which were allowed to reopen on Monday (May 4), as the country began easing a partial lockdown amid an unprecedented economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Long queues were seen outside pawnshops in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Melaka as well as in other states, as people rushed to pawn their jewellery for cash or renew pawn tickets.

Many Malaysians have been struggling with financial hardship after suddenly being unable to work or having lost their jobs due to the movement control order (MCO), in particular lower-income groups, the self-employed, and daily wage earners.

Mr David Yew, manager of a pawnshop in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Kepong, said that there were "too many" customers over the last two days, comprising all races.

"We had 140 customers today, most of them pawned their gold for cash. They had run out of money during the MCO and didn't have any food at all," he told The Straits Times.

"I can't help much, the government should help them. If government aid is RM600 (S$195) for a family, if you have a baby, it is not enough," he said.

Another pawnshop in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Sri Rampai said they were "too busy" to talk. "We had over 100 customers yesterday and today," a shop worker said.

Malaysia Pawnbrokers Association president Tan Ho Keng said, however, that most went to pawnshops to renew or redeem their pawn tickets.

"There are a lot of people queuing outside the shops due to the fact that we have not been opened for a month and a half," he was quoted as saying by The Star daily.

He urged the government to introduce the use of digital transactions into pawnbrokers' business operations to reduce physical contact.

Last month, Mr Tan had called on the government to allow pawnshops to reopen after having received many inquiries from customers.

He said pawnshops play a vital role in helping society, and in particular the lower income groups, "to obtain funding to buy necessities during this difficult period that the country is facing".

Malaysia began relaxing its coronavirus control measures, allowing some businesses to reopen from Monday, citing economic losses of RM63 billion since the MCO came into force on March 18.

A number of hotels and other companies in Malaysia, hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, have folded.

The government had at end-March announced that it would provide cash aid for those eligible, but former human resources minister M. Kulasegaran questioned if it had reached those in need.

"In Ipoh, I saw quite a number of people going to pawnshops placing their jewellery for cash... Has the government economic aid reached the people?" he tweeted on Monday.

Facebook user Nurhani Marzuki said that she was one of those who had gone to a pawnshop. "Praise God, as long as I can handle things myself, I will handle it myself. Avoid borrowing and begging," she said.

Malaysia on Tuesday reported 30 new coronavirus cases, bringing the cumulative total to 6,383 cases. The health ministry also reported one new death, raising the total fatalities to 106.

Hong Kong to reopen schools, gyms, cinemas as coronavirus rules ease - The Straits Times

HONG KONG – The Hong Kong government will reopen schools and relax the various social distancing measures, most of which expire on Thursday (May 7), as the number of new coronavirus infections in the city stabilises.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday afternoon, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the current limit on public gatherings of groups of up to four persons will be raised to eight from Friday.

Venues such as gyms, cinemas, gaming centres, mahjong, massage and beauty parlours will reopen from Friday, although some restrictions on their operations will remain in place until May 21.

For instance, cinemas’ capacity must not be maximised and beauticians must have specific precautions.

Karaoke lounges, party rooms and nightclubs will remain shut for a further two weeks.

Food and beverage businesses will be allowed to increase the maximum patrons at a table from four to eight, but other existing rules, including wearing masks and having tables at least 1.5m apart, will remain.

Bars and pubs can also reopen from Friday but live bands and dancing are not permitted. They must also observe a cap on the number of patrons.

“Raising the number from four to eight, both for the catering business and for the prohibition against a group gathering, is not an exact science, but this is a step in the right direction of relaxation. So, maybe in another 14 days’ time, we will raise the number from eight to 10, to 12, to 15,” said Mrs Lam, who added that there has to be flexibility in imposing rules.

Schools will open their doors in phases, with the higher secondary school students returning to class on May 27 before the younger pupils do so in June.

Classes will not resume for children in kindergarten for the rest of the year.

Asked if the decision was premature, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung said the government is not resuming classes “right away” but is “giving advance notice of about three weeks for all the stakeholders to prepare for school resumption”.

He said the government will definitely monitor the situation and adjust plans accordingly but expressed confidence that the plan will be able to materialise on May 27.

The decision comes as Mrs Lam noted that Hong Kong had no local infection for 16 straight days.

Of these, no new case was recorded on 10 of the days, including Tuesday.

The total confirmed cases as at Tuesday is 1,040 and four deaths.

Around 900 patients have been discharged so far.

She said the number of infections has hovered in the low single digits and the rate of transmission has been lower in Hong Kong than other parts of the world.

The move makes Hong Kong one of the first cities in the world to reopen venues that attract large crowds.

As the pandemic appears to be under control, civil servants returned to their offices on Monday, and facilities such as museums and libraries will reopen gradually later this week.

At the briefing, the government also announced that the locally developed reusable face masks that can be reused up to 60 times, will be given out to residents from May 6 for a month.