The government said these businesses could remain open in the event that they operated solely online, without requiring owners or employees to depart their homes, and without requiring customers or third-party delivery services to select up or deliver goods at residences.
“When we heard the news, we were speechless. We have no idea how things will turn out. I went through postpartum depression after having my first child, so I’m really trying to stay calm, but with everything that’s going on, I don’t know how to deal with it,” Siti said. Her first child is two years old.
“We will have zero income. I have already accepted orders for Hari Raya dishes and have already bought the ingredients, which of course are not cheap. “I was ready to just give it my all to fulfill my orders because I had to cover the two weeks I was on break and had no income,” she added.
Farid Khan, president of the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI), said in a Facebook post on Saturday that the organization “will work closely with all relevant authorities to address this matter urgently.”
Fortunately, all Siti customers were understanding and did not demand an immediate refund. They will allow her to follow orders when confinement measures are lifted.
Juliana Ramli, who runs Crumbs N Batter on Instagram, is also grateful to her customers who told her they don’t mind receiving Hari Raya goodies after June 1, more than a week after the holiday.
Juliana, 44, a home baker who has been selling cookies, tarts, cakes and other desserts from her kitchen since 2014, told TODAY she will lose 80 percent of her income due to the temporary closure of her business – when orders are usually at the highest level in history.
Coronavirus: why so few deaths among 14,000 infections in Singapore?
Coronavirus: why so few deaths among 14,000 infections in Singapore?
“The increase in Hari Raya sales has always helped me pay my sons’ school fees and childcare during dormant periods. Also, sales are minimal, so Hari Raya is when I earn money to save for later months,” said the mother of three. Her husband works as an engineer’s assistant.
Juliana, who previously worked as a teacher, now teaches online classes once per week, independently of her baking business, and uses the income from her baking to take care of her nine-year-old son.
“My son was diagnosed with kidney cancer [in 2018]. Even though he has been in remission for a year, I try to feed him better quality food. My baking business allowed me to spend more on it. Given the loss of income, it will be difficult for me to provide him with the care I have provided since he was diagnosed. We are trying our best to take care of the one kidney he has left,” she said.
It’s depressing because it was a significant source of income. Even if it’s just a small business, it still helps us.
For 26-year-old Syakilah Khamaruddin, whose husband works as a delivery driver, closing her home-based business where she contacts customers on Instagram to sell donuts, deep-fried choux pastries from France, will be a “huge hit” to their income – she added.
“It’s depressing because it’s a significant source of income. Even if it’s just a small business, it still helps us. Now we have to rely on my husband’s salary. We can’t spend too much.”
Syakilah, who has three children aged five to seven, would love authorities to provide home operators like her some leniency because “we’re also taking extra precautions.”
“How are we different from other restaurants where delivery people come and pick up the food?” she asked.
However, home-based business owners aren’t the one ones affected by the tightened restrictions. Mohamad Noor Hadi, director of Avana Singapore, the corporate that founded eBazaar, a virtual Hari Raya bazaar where shoppers can find quite a lot of items from handicrafts to food and festive costumes and accessories, said 50 percent of his sellers were forced to drag out.
“Half of the suppliers who have signed up are e-commerce companies, while the other half are home-based. “At this point, we are not sure how things will go with eBazaar as it is still unclear what can and cannot be done during a power outage,” he said. “But we remain optimistic that everything will work out.”
He added that he has not had any income since February on account of the cancellation of other events organized by his company.
Another home-based business owner is Adeline Tan, whose dessert business just isn’t necessarily influenced by Ramadan and Hari Raya Puasa celebrations. She was excited to return to selling baked goods after eye surgery in March.
The 23-year-old home baker, whose eyesight has been partially impaired since surgery, has been selling cakes, cookies and made-to-order cakes full-time since graduating from university last July. He lives along with his parents and sister, who all work.
“I know I’m in a much better situation than many people who are the sole breadwinner for their families,” she said.
A storm in a cup of bubble tea as Singapore’s circuit breaker prolonged into June
A storm in a cup of bubble tea as Singapore’s circuit breaker prolonged into June
A petition on Change.org titled “Allow small home-based F&B businesses to operate under circuit breaker regulations” addressed to the Housing and Development Board and the Ministry of Trade and Industry was launched on Saturday by two friends who’ve chosen to be known only as Nad ( 23 years old) and Fae (30 years old). Their gender is unknown. As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition had collected greater than 67,000 signatures, heading in the right direction to succeed in its goal of 75,000.
The duo, who don’t run a home-based business themselves, told TODAY they began the petition knowing what it’s wish to “grapple with an unexpected crisis.”
“We know that circuit breaker action is important. We also follow the regulations. This petition was submitted to support home-based businesses that were not prepared for the ban, and we hope that the relevant authorities will take action to ease the ban or support them,” Fae said.
For Malaysian migrant workers, food is a bigger concern than Covid-19
For Malaysian migrant workers, food is a bigger concern than Covid-19
While they are aware that their petition may not repeal any rules, Nad and Fae are glad that like-minded organizations have started raising money to benefit affected home-based businesses.
“Most business owners rely heavily on sales as a source of income, especially those who come from low-income families. We hope they receive support during this difficult time,” Fae said.
On Monday, Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of the Environment and Water Resources, wrote in a Facebook post that he was “concerned” that some people were trying to persuade home food businesses to pressure the government to make an exception for them.
“This is irresponsible. They are supposedly fighting for the rights of entrepreneurs, but they are only rubbing salt in their wounds because they know that the government cannot make an exception for any sector affected by the period of tightening the circuit breaker regulations,” he said.
Read the unique article at Today on the Internet
