Lest you’re unaware, publicity exists in two different variations:
The positive form, and the negative form.
And while any business owner would surely opt for the former, reality dictates that in specific circumstances…
We may well be stuck with the latter instead.
And though I may not relate…
I’m pretty sure this Cai Png eatery in Malaysia is more than capable of envisioning the notion.
Rather regrettably so, I may add.
A Cai Png Eatery in M’sia Suffered Poor Business After A Quarantined Person Post Image Of Herself Eating There
As the ongoing epidemic heads on strong into the latter half of the year, humans all around the world have begun to accept it as a mainstay and readied the necessary arrangements to circumvent the risks of going out.
“What kind of arrangements?” you wonder.
Well, like washing your hands frequently, wearing a mask at all times…
And avoiding all questionable places, including venues that quarantined personnel have recently visited.
So it stands to reason how people would stay a mile away from this Cai Png eatery in Malaysia, after a Covid-19 positive patient – who had gone viral for breaching home quarantine – was allegedly seen dining at their premises. But the question begets;
Was the woman truly there while in a quarantined state, or was there, as Transformers like to put it, more than met the eye?
According to Sinar Harian, the woman who was photographed was ascertained to have tested positive for the virus, and is currently receiving treatment at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun.
The photo of her eating was reported to have been filmed on 6 June, when she and her family had stopped for breakfast while en-route to Ipoh from Selangor.
Netizens have since speculated the exact location of the eatery, with one claiming that a certain local restaurant had been the ‘perpetrator’.
Suffice to say, people did not take well to the allegations…
And shunned the said eatery in question.
Which made for a sorry sight, considering how loads of good food went to waste because of it.
“I’m about to close up for the day,” the eatery wrote just two days ago (24 July 2020).
“Today just isn’t in my favour. Maybe we will try tomorrow.”
And though the restaurant’s left in a sorry state, one can’t help but wonder whether the Netizens were justified in their cause. After all, it did serve as a venue that the quarantined patient had dined in at before…
So surely it’s just a case of self-defence mechanism?
Well, as it turns out…
Not quite.
False Allegation
As it turns out, the allegation was false.
The patient had not eaten at the alleged eatery in question.
The Netizen behind the initial claim has since made a public apology to the restaurant owner.
“I apologise profusely for sharing the wrong information concerning the woman who was seen dining with a quarantine wristband to my group of friends,” the Netizen wrote. “I apologise for not checking my facts.”
And despite everything that has happened, the eatery was gracious in accepting the apology.
Kudos, Restoran Pokok Belacan! It’s difficult to be big-hearted in such difficult times, and you’ve proved that no matter how dire the circumstances, one can still practice graciousness and amicability.
With that said, we hope that the restaurant’s business will pick up soon enough, and that Netizens would make it a point to verify their facts before posting online. After all, words are akin to a sword:
In the sense that they have a similar cutting effect on their respective platforms.
So use those words wisely, because you never know whom you may be ‘inadvertently’ cutting.
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
