TWO popular nasi kandar restaurants and three food stalls in George Town, Penang, have been slapped with temporary closure orders for not observing hygiene standards.
The state Health Department ordered the closure of the eateries for two weeks until the operators improve the overall cleanliness.
The closure was effective yesterday after an inspection carried out by the department and the Penang Municipal Council.
The eateries are located on King Street, Queen Street and Chulia Street.
Council Public Health standing committee alternate chairman Ong Ah Teong said the operator of a restaurant was fined RM300 while the other was fined RM280 for committing the offences.
He said the two restaurants were graded 48% and 54.5% respectively, which was below the passing mark of 60%.
Disgusting sight: A state Health Department officer checking the freezers at one eatery He said the compounds were issued for reasons such as dirty premises, unhygienic food handling, faulty ventilation fan and failure to get typhoid injections for workers.
He added that one of the restaurant operators had earlier been given a RM250 compound for discharging dirty water directly into the drain.
The compound was issued by the council’s Urban Services Department.
“We cannot tolerate this as all the eateries are located in the heritage zone which is frequented by tourists and locals.
“The state’s image will be tarnished if the cleanliness of eateries is not up to mark.
“In fact, we were told that two people came down with food poisoning after patronising one of the food outlets in the area,” he said.
During the inspection, the health personnel found dead lizards in one of the kitchens.
There was a strong stench when the fridge in another restaurant was opened by a member of the inspection team.
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