Yeah Kim Leng, professor of economics at Sunway University, said consumers are confused over which items they could buy at shops.

“The government should set up a task force quickly to regain public trust. The matter must be quickly resolved as people buy products every day,” he told FMT, adding that the government has the means to resolve this before it becomes another national issue.

Failure to sort it out would have an impact on the government’s credibility in managing the total lockdown, he said.

His comments came in the wake of social media users questioning why shops were not allowed to sell certain items that were in stock, such as beverages.

A Twitter user with the handle @yours_heidi, said a shop in Gombak had closed off its shelves for bathroom and cleaning supplies which she considered to be essential items.

Another user Lala said a hypermarket in Bukit Indah had closed its clothes section. “Isn’t clothes an essential item?,” she asked, while Aizat Zulhilmi said certain parts of hardware shops are closed.

Yesterday, the pharmacy chain Caring Pharmacy was reported to have temporarily stopped selling hair dye, hair gel and facial masks in adherence to lockdown rules, although these products were reported to be still on sale at other pharmacies.

On June 4, deputy minister for domestic trade and consumer affairs Rosol Wahid was quoted as saying that cigarettes were allowed to be sold despite not being in the essential list item as it was “essential to cigarette addicts”, however the sale of alcoholic drinks were prohibited as it was listed as non-essential by the National Security Council.

Yeah said that it would be impossible to list all the items that were prohibited or that could be sold during the lockdown. Enforcement officers should act as advocates to educate people on the ground.

“The purpose for this is to ensure Covid-19 does not spread. Does not allowing beverages stop the spread of Covid-19,” Yeah asked, adding that the government needs to have a clear approach on this matter.

He said the proposed task force could work hand in hand with enforcement officers. If there is any confusion, the task force should be able to quickly check with the source that issued the SOP, he said. The source could be the National Security Council, health ministry or the international trade and industry ministry.

“Once the SOPs are clear, it should be business as usual,” he added.

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