Pahang, Sarawak localities to be placed under 2-week EMCO

KUALA LUMPUR: A two-week Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) will be enforced in Taman Guru, Kuantan, Pahang, and Kampung Batu Gong and Kampung Chupak in Serian, Sarawak, from March 27 to April 9.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the EMCO would allow the Health Ministry to conduct targeted screenings at these localities following an exponential spike in Covid-19 cases.

“The Health Ministry held 178 screenings at Taman Guru in Jalan Gambang, Kuantan and found 63 cases to date. There is a spike with a high infectivity rate there,” he said yesterday.

On the EMCO in Kampung Batu Gong and Kampung Chupak,

Ismail Sabri said more than 100 cases had been reported since March 25.

“Up to March 25, a total of 50 Covid-19 cases had been reported at Kampung Batu Gong.

“A total of 338 screenings were conducted at Kampung Chupak where 57 were positive cases. There are 240 test samples awaiting results.”

Ismail Sabri said 54 people were arrested for violating the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) standard operating procedures (SOP) on Thursday.

Of the number, 53 were issued with compounds and one was remanded.

Ismail Sabri said topping the list of offences were failure to provide proper registration logs in public establishments or premises (25), not wearing face masks (17), interstate travel (six), not practising physical distancing (five) and one unspecified violation.

These cases were recorded from 66,274 checks by the task force in charge of SOP adherence.

On March 11, the government instituted a RM10,000 compound for SOP violations, which saw criticism by several quarters upon its implementation.

The RM10,000 fine also applied to first-time offenders, including for failure to wear face masks or registering details for contact tracing purposes.

The government later issued a tiered-based compound system; the maximum compound remained in force but offences were broken down according to the severity and impact of the SOP violation on community transmission.

In Kuching, it was reported that the Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee yesterday decided to extend the CMCO in the state until 11.59pm on April 12.

According to a statement from the committee, the decision to extend the CMCO, which was supposed to end on Monday, was made after the number of positive cases in Sarawak was still found to be high, with 213 new cases recorded yesterday, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 15,176.

“Today, the Sarawak State Health Department declared two more new clusters,” the statement said, adding that they were the Senadin Cluster in Miri and the Batu Gong Cluster in Serian.

With the new additions, there were 33 Covid-19 clusters active in the state, with eight of them recording increase in cases.

The committee also confirmed that EMCO would be enforced in Kampung Chupak and Kampung Batu Gong in Serian.

The Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee also decided to make it compulsory for funeral-related gatherings to be reported to the nearest district office before they were held, and those involved must strictly comply with the SOP set by the authorities.

It said the measure was taken after it was found that most of the Covid-19 cases stemmed from such gatherings.