Senior Minister for Security Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has just announced another Movement Control Order (MCO) for six districts in Selangor, including Klang, Hulu Langat, Petaling, Gombak, Kuala Langat and Sepang.
This will be held from 6 - 17 May 2021. The remaining Selangor districts - Hulu Selangor, Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam will remain in Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
The Minister also stated that further details regarding working from home for public and private sectors will be announced by other relevant ministries or the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).
More details and relevant SOPs will be updated once released.
SOP Update -
- Dine-in is not allowed
- Cross-district and interstate travel not allowed
- Operation hours for MCO areas as per below -
- F&B - 6am - 12am
- Convenience Stores - 6am - 10pm
- Pasar - 6am - 2pm
- Petrol Stations - 6am - 10pm
- Highway Petrol Stations - 24 hours
- Medical Hospitals and Clinics - Operates as per usual
- Ramadhan bazaars are still allowed to operate with strict SOPs
- State governments may cease Ramadhan bazaars if needed
- Sports and recreational activities that do not involve physical touch are allowed
According to the NSC website, areas under MCO only allow movement of people for the purpose of buying daily necessities, medical services and official government work.
Previously, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) had stated that the Movement Control Order (MCO) is needed to control the Covid-19 pandemic.
MMA president Professor Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said this should be considered especially for the Klang Valley as there have been no signs of improvement in the number of coronavirus cases.
It is more important for an MCO to be enforced in the Klang Valley as hospitals are already running out of beds in their Intensive Care Unit (ICU) wards, he said.
In implementing the MCO, he proposed for the government not to ease restrictions until an infectivity target rate of 0.5 is achieved.
He said the government had previously lifted the MCO restrictions even before its aim was achieved, resulting in a continuous spike in Covid-19 cases to date.
"Since it was lifted, we have not been able to flatten the curve. We should not be lifting restrictions when cases are rising," he added.
For now, he urged the government to ban all gatherings and restore the work-from-home order in areas where cases are spiking.
More stringent Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are also needed for the next MCO.
Reference Links -
[1] Majlis Keselamatan Negara
[2] News Straits Times
[3] The Edge