PUTRAJAYA – The government will re-evaluate the movement control order (MCO) in states with a Covid-19 resurgence, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
In a brief statement today, he said this is being done to ensure the standard operating procedures and other efforts to stem infections are effective.
He stopped short of announcing another MCO, lockdown extensions, or other policy changes.
The statement comes less than two weeks before Muslims celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which falls on May 13 and 14.
At present, the MCO is imposed only on Kelantan and several Kedah districts. Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak are under the conditional MCO.
The remaining states and territories – Perlis, Perak, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Terengganu, Putrajaya and Labuan – are under the recovery MCO.
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob previously said the statuses will remain until May 17.
“The government has been using an early warning system known as Hotspots Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) to pinpoint risky areas or premises that contribute to Covid-19 infections. Such premises will be closed if they are visited by a high number of people positive for Covid-19,” said Muhyiddin.
“This is in line with our targeted approach to address the pandemic. Via this system, monitoring is done daily to identify locations that pose a high risk to the public.”
He urged people to abide by all SOPs, as well as avoid crowded spaces.
The HIDE system was used to shut 22 Ramadan bazaars for three days starting today, with the authorities saying yesterday that these locations are high-risk.
Today, Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming cautioned against declaring a third MCO in the Klang Valley without first getting the SOPs right amid rumours of its imposition next week.
He said the National Security Council should already have a system in place to prepare residents, with an advance warning given, before such an order is announced.
“There is much speculation that there will be another MCO in the Klang Valley next week, perhaps as early as Monday. It would be the third time we experience the MCO in the Klang Valley, where almost 10 million people live.
“An MCO is very disruptive to the people, especially from an economic perspective. The people are already suffering from MCO 1.0 and MCO 2.0. If MCO 3.0 is announced without proper preparation, the people’s suffering will only increase.” – The Vibes, May 1, 2021
