Back to CMCO roadblock hassles again in Klang Valley

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Oct 2020:

Police will enforce roadblocks in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya following instructions to implement the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) from Wednesday Oct 14.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said the roadblocks would be set up at several locations in the three states involved starting midnight tomorrow.

“The roadblocks will be mounted in the same way as before (during the MCO in early March). Instructions for the deployment of police officers to the roadblock locations will be arranged by the Kuala Lumpur police chief and Selangor police chief.”

Meanwhile, Defence Forces chief Gen Tan Sri Affendi Buang said the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) would work with the police in mounting the roadblocks as before. “MAF and the police will do as they did before,” he said briefly.

Today, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the government has agreed to implement CMCO in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya from 12.01am from Wednesday Oct 14 to 27.

The decision was reached at a special National Security Council (MKN) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today, after consulting with the Health Ministry and taking into account the increase in Covid-cases in Klang, Petaling and Gombak districts.

However, all government services will remain operational throughout the implementation of the CMCO in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya from Oct 14 to 27, says Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali.

In a statement today, Mohd Zuki said civil servants would adapt to a rotation system and work from home, based on the requirement.

He said heads of departments were required to comply with the Public Service Department Circular ‘JPA.SARAAN (S) 256/6 / 31JLD.6 (6)’ dated 2 May 2020, for the purpose, and use their discretion and due consideration in the best interest of their staff’s health and welfare.

They should also ensure all safety and health standard operating procedures (SOPs) were fully complied with such as performing body temperature screening, practising physical distancing, and using face masks and sanitisers.

“This will also apply to any other areas declared as being under the CMCO.”

Mohd Zuki said the use of online applications should also prioritised to minimise physical presence at offices or over-the-counter services.

He added that MKN would be issuing a more detailed SOP in the near future.

CMCO is enforced in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya after new cases reported were consistent in the three areas everyday, said Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Even though new cases recorded were less than 100 daily, he noted they were scattered and have started to spread in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya as well as all districts in Selangor except Sabak Bernam.

The government cannot wait and see until the yellow zones turn red to implement CMCO or the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO), he said at a virtual media conference aired over the Health Ministry’s Facebook site today.

Dr Noor Hisham explained the risk evaluation on whether the situation was bad or otherwise did not depend solely on daily positive cases as there was also a need to look at the pattern of infection spreading in a state.

“So if the infection is focused on one or two districts, the approach of the Targeted Movement Control Order maybe implemented.

“However if the spread of infection is in every district, in the state with new cases scattered in Selangor and Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya), this means the spread could not be contained effectively.”

Dr Noor Hisham said the implementation of CMCO was also decided to break infection from spreading across states more effectively, after taking into consideration the difficulty in border control for Selangor and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

“It is a more proactive and effective move especially to ensure the capability of our public health to plan well.

“The implementation of the order is a very important preventive action carried out to contain the spread of Covid-19 before it proliferates from state to state.”

Commenting on World Health Organisation’s warning against using lockdown as the primary means for controlling the virus as it might have impact on poverty, Dr Noor Hisham clarified the action taken by the government is not a total lockdown.

“We mitigate the impact by looking into Conditional Movement Control Order in which we allowed the economic sector to function but we restrict movements for the social, education, as well as sports.

“I think it is important for us to make a decision, the right decision so that we can actually balance life and livelihood, this is what we are doing now and we hope that our action would bear fruits within two or three weeks time and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

On whether workers who deal directly with the people are required to take the swab test, following several cases of employees in shopping centres detected positive for Covid-19, Dr Noor Hisham said the earlier SOP is still in use and employers are encouraged to send their workers for screening from time to time.

“Health personnel, frontliners from related agencies are screened at the workplace from time to time apart from screening personnel known as close contacts.

“What is important is that the Health Ministry and health staff would carry out risk evaluation at the shops and we will decontaminate the place as well.”

However, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said in a statement: “The announcement of CMCO in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today came as a shock to the state government.

“The Selangor government is of the view that several areas categorised as green and yellow zones such as Sabak Bernam and Kuala Selangor remain under control at the moment.

“So, we (state government) will send our counter-proposals to MKN immediately for the matter to be reconsidered.”

– Bernama