KUALA LUMPUR (April 14): Retailers are expected to bear RM20.48 billion in operational and staff cost during the six weeks of Movement Control Order (MCO).

This burden will be borne mostly by non-essential retailers even as their stores remain closed, data from Retail Group Malaysia reveals.

An estimated RM14.31 billion is their retail operating cost which includes rent of premises, head office expenses, insurances, advertising and promotional expenses, and repair and maintenance.

Another RM6.18 billion is expected to be staff cost, comprising salaries and wages, allowances and contributions to the Employees Provident Fund and Social Security Organisation.

The MCO, which was initially scheduled between March 18 and 31, requires non-essential businesses to stop operations, while the public has been ordered to stay at home to curb the Covid-19 outbreak.

On March 25, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the government decided to extend the MCO until today because updates from the National Security Council and Health Ministry indicated an increase in Covid-19 cases.

On Friday (April 10), Muhyiddin said the government is extending the MCO until April 28.

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