Covid-19: No more warning for those breaching recovery MCO, SOPs
CORONAVIRUS | Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today warned that police would no longer issue warnings but would move straight to take action against those caught breaching the recovery movement control order (MCO).
He said this was due to cases concerning MCO and standard operating procedures (SOPs) violations are on the rise.
CORONAVIRUS | Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today warned that police would no longer issue warnings but would move straight to take action against those caught breaching the recovery movement control order (MCO).
He said this was due to cases concerning MCO and standard operating procedures (SOPs) violations are on the rise.
“This is due to non-compliance with the SOP is increasing among the public. Members of the public seem to think there are no longer any laws and that the MCO has ended.
“Hence, police have decided there will be no more warning, no more advice. Police will take stern action against anyone found in breach of the MCO and all SOPs,” the defence minister said during his press briefing in Putrajaya today.
He warned actions also include suspension of operating licences of errant businesses.
This comes as new Covid-19 clusters have begun to emerge in recent days and the Perak Health Department is working to track down a woman who was said to have breached the Covid-19 house surveillance order.
He said authorities yesterday arrested 80 individuals for breaching the recovery MCO regulations, of which 20 were remanded, four obtained bail and 56 compounded.
This included 37 cases involving nightclubs and pubs, and 43 cases of non-adherence to social distancing measures.
Ismail (photo) today reminded that nightclubs and entertainment centres remained on the list of businesses not permitted to resume.
“Therefore, the government, through the Housing and Local Government Ministry and local authorities will increase monitoring and enforcement activities on nightclubs and entertainment centres in operation.
“Action (to be taken) include suspending business licenses,” Ismail said.
As a result, the government began gradually easing restrictions, first with the conditional MCO and now recovery MCO, in a bid to revitalise the economy.
Ismail, in the same press conference, said that rising coronavirus cases and non-compliance to SOPs has also prompted the government to reconsider allowing mandatory home quarantine for returning Malaysians and non-citizens from abroad.
Instead, he announced that from July 24, all international arrivals would be sent to specially identified centres or stations for quarantining.
Concerns over the public's seeming increasing disregard towards the use of facial masks, social distancing measures and other regulations have even prompted Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (below) to issue a warning that the Perikatan Nasional government could be forced to reimpose lockdown similar to the initial phase of the MCO last March.
He said Putrajaya is also considering making it mandatory for Malaysians to don face masks in public.
The MCO, which saw the prohibition of all non-essential businesses, activities and movements, had cost the country up to RM63 billion, or up to RM2.4 billion a day.
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