KOTA KINABALU: Sandakan will be the first district to officially allow restaurant dine-ins amid the uncertainty in SOPs over the matter in Sabah.

       Sandakan Municipal Council president Wong Foo Tin was quoted by Astro Awani as saying that they are allowing dine-ins starting Saturday (July 3).

       He said only two persons are allowed per table with 50% capacity at the premises.

       He said the operating hours will start from 6am till 8pm.

       Wong said the existing Covid-19 prevention-related SOPs such as scanning MySejahtera, temperature checks and social distancing must be followed.

       Dine-ins and the reopening of several sectors including hair salons were first allowed to operate starting June 29 following Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s announcement on June 28.

       However, federal authorities said the next day that all states should not have their own set of SOPs and that all must follow a standardised SOP in place.

       Some restaurants and salons have decided to follow Hajiji’s announcement while many choose to play safe.

       There is no update in SOPs with regards to this matter till now.