Subang Jaya will officially become city on Oct 20
On Oct 20 this year, Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) will officially be known as Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ). MPSJ president Noraini Roslan said the council had been a municipality for 22 years, since 1997 after Petaling District Council was upgraded. “MPSJ received the consent of the Sultan of Selangor that the date of declaration for Subang Jaya City Council will be on Oct 20,2020, ” she said. Noraini also announced several new guidelines in line with the government’s decision to move into the recovery movement control order (MCO) from June 10 to Aug 31. It is mandatory for all business premises to use the Selangkah system. (The Star Online)
Spa, massage and reflexology services can now resume business
Spa, wellness and reflexology services, including those provided by blind masseurs, can resume operations from July 1, says Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. He said the standard operating procedure (SOP), such as social distancing, checking temperature of clients, the use of face shields and registration via MySejahtera, applies for these outlets, their workers and patrons. Spa, wellness and reflexology centres can open, provided their workers are Malaysian citizens and screened for Covid-19 before resuming their jobs. As for blind masseurs, the minister said they were also allowed to provide these services and must register with the local authorities before resuming business. He added that the special Cabinet committee had also given the green light for the tourism sub-sector involved in meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, as well as travel and trade, to begin activities from July 1. (The Star Online)
Global real estate market to show signs of recovery in 2H20
End-user residential is experiencing a rebound in countries where the market has reopened, notably China where the market was given a post-lockdown boost by the central bank’s credit easing, according to Savills Global Market Sentiment Survey (June 2020). In China, residential volumes steadily improved from mid-February. Malaysia is also showing signs of recovery, said Savills Malaysia. The survey revealed that logistics, healthcare, and to a lesser extent, residential have proved to be the most resilient sectors, with some rental growth reported in a minority of markets, though the majority of respondents still reported rents to be unchanged or even falling. Meanwhile, in other nations, banks have become more cautious in the wake of Covid-19 and tightened their lending criteria. Overall, some 58% of respondents stated real estate debt has become less available and on worse terms than usual, particularly in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and North America. (The Edge)
Muhyiddin: Govt to continue mega projects that don’t require more funds
Several mega projects that do not require additional funding will be continued to provide economic opportunities as the government seeks to boost the country’s economy following COVID-19, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said. Although enormous expenses were being spent to deal with the problems caused by COVID-19, the Prime Minister said another strategy to provide other economic opportunities was by continuing mega projects that had already been decided. “For example, the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project involves an expenditure of RM40 billion… [and] the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project,” he said, for which there was a need to proceed with it but details on the project were still being worked out both governments. At the same time, he welcomed the involvement of the private sector in the project, as it could assist the government in reducing its burden in implementing the HSR project. (The Star Online)
New rules to stop suits over delayed housing projects
Housing developers and house buyers are to get legal protection against each other where projects have been affected by restrictions to combat Covid-19. Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said protection would be provided in a new law expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat next month. The bill would provide temporary measures on Covid-19 restrictions. “When we draft the bill, there will be a clause where both parties (developers and buyers) cannot sue one another. We will be making new terms,” she said. To date, she said 700 to 800 applications had been received from developers to extend their completion periods, which has been interrupted for three months due to the movement control order. “Buyers must also accept the fact that they cannot make any claim based on the original agreement,” she said. (Free Malaysia Today)
