by TMR / pic by ARIF KARTONO

THE Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry’s enforcement division will increase monitoring and enforcement to ensure the supply of essentials is not affected by the partial closure of the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market in Selayang.

“The ministry will continue to cooperate with other government agencies such as the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority and Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia and also traders’ associations involved in the issue.

“Although this is not the first time it has happened, the situation must be handled properly so that it will not be made an excuse to raise prices of certain items,” Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said in a statement yesterday.

He said monitoring, through Ops Pantau, will be intensified to minimise the impact of the closure and the ministry is consistently carrying out inspections and monitoring to ensure all parties adhere to trade laws.

It was reported that the fish section of the wholesale market will be closed from May 9 till May 16 after several traders and workers tested positive for Covid-19.

In a separate statement, the Ministry of Transport said all LRT stations — identified under the HIDE hotspots list — remain operational during the Movement Control Order (MCO).

However, all retail outlets in the stations will be closed for three days from May 9 to May 11 in accordance to the National Security Council’s (MKN) announcement on Saturday.

“Any extension of closure will be subject to announcements by MKN,” the ministry said in a statement.

The stations that were listed under the HIDE list are LRT KLCC, LRT Masjid Jamek 3 and KL Sentral.

“Keeping public transport services running is crucial for the country, especially for frontliners who must rely on their continued operations even during the MCO in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur,” the ministry added.