Covid-19: Government issues SOPs for manufacturing and professional services sectors
06 May 2020
On 1 May 2020, the Prime Minister of Malaysia announced that all businesses except those which are set out in the
List of Prohibited Activities are permitted to operate from 4 May 2020 (‘MCO Phase 4’) subject to strict compliance with the standard operating procedures (‘SOP’) established by the relevant regulatory authorities. Our earlier Alert on MCO Phase 4 is available
here.
The Ministry of International Trade and Industry had on the same day issued
SOPs for the manufacturing sector and
SOPs for the professional services sector.
The SOPs state that –
- all businesses/ business activities under both sectors except those which are set out in the List of Prohibited Activities are permitted to operate subject to the rules by the relevant local authority;
- businesses/ business activities under both sectors which are located in areas under the enhanced movement control order are not permitted to operate; and
- a company/ business may only enhance the SOPs where appropriate but any relaxation of the SOPs is prohibited.
The following should be noted –
- the SOPs for the professional services sector do not include the legal profession which is subject to a different set of SOP. and
- businesses in the professional services sector are required to comply with the applicable laws governing their profession.
Our summary (in the English language) of the salient points of the SOPs for the manufacturing sector and the SOPs for the professional services sector is available
here and
here.
It appears that some of the requirements in the SOPs for the professional services sector, such as requirements pertaining to factories, may not be applicable to the business of professional services firms.
Alert prepared by Tan Wei Liang (Associate) of Skrine.