The government today said that no liquor producing factories will be allowed to operate during the lockdown (MCO). Senior Minister Ismail Yaakob Sabri clarified that breweries were not at all an essential service and they will not be allowed to operate. The statement came hours after a Miti letter allowing a Carlsberg factory to operate had gone viral on social media.
Senior Minister Ismail Yaakob Sabri today clarified that Breweries, which had been allowed to continue operating under the lockdown, will now be closed down, as they were not at all an essential service. The minister said that while the SOPs for the lockdown allowed factories manufacturing food and beverages to operate, the approval is only for factories producing essential items. “Breweries are not included in this category,” he said.
The statement comes a few hours after an Amanah Youth leader questioned permission to operate a Carlsberg brewery. A letter by Miti (international trade and industry ministry) that had allowed the Carlsberg brewery to operate, had gone viral on social media, drawing criticism for the government.