PETALING JAYA: As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to disrupt manufacturers around the world, the government should come up with clear SOPs for local businesses to continue operating, says Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan.

       Referring to recent international reports, Shahril said disruptions in the global supply chain would continue until next year, and it was set to adversely impact economic recovery in the country.

       However, Shahril said the government could still mitigate the projected economic slump by having in place policies and SOPs for companies to operate.

       "Business activity SOPs will soon replace vaccinations as a key weapon in our economic recovery," said Shahril in a statement on Monday (Aug 30).

       Shahril said vaccination rates in Malaysia had been steadily increasing, but expressed concern over the Delta variant that continues to contribute to surges in Covid-19 cases in countries around the world.

       "In the past, vaccination rates might have been perceived as a panacea to everything

       "But now we know better. The Delta-variant has meant that countries around the world with decent vaccination rates are facing difficulties on output, including Malaysia."

       Shahril said the disruptions on the supply chain had also caused a ten-fold increase of container cost from Asia to Europe at present, compared to May last year.

       Shahril also emphasised that nearly 30% of exports in the country contributed to the global value chain.

       "If there isn't clarity in operational SOPS and reopening plans soon, our companies will lose their customers overseas.

       Shahril was also concerned that industrial states such as Selangor, Johor, and Penang were still operating at reduced capacity, and many were still confused as to when they could return to operating at full capacity.

       "This means they will find it difficult to commit or explain adjustment plans to customers."

       Last Thursday (Aug 26), Bloomberg reported that disruptions in the global supply chain were set to last till 2022, as the Delta variant continued to surge in several countries in Asia.