Kelantan govt: Don’t return home for holidays
KOTA BARU: The state government has cautioned people against returning to the state to celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha tomorrow.
Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said this was to prevent Covid-19 infections and new clusters resulting from interstate travel.
He said Sultan of Kelantan Sultan Muhammad V had previously issued a decree, telling people not to return to the state for the holiday.
“We seek the cooperation of all Kelantanese not to come back to their kampung.
“It’s not that we don’t want them home.
“We only want everyone to learn what the Aidilfitri celebrations taught us.
“The latest cluster in Kelantan was triggered by interstate travel. So I appeal to the people to be patient and think of the safety of others, including their parents.
“In my kampung, there was a case of a 70-year-old man who died of Covid-19, and his wife is hospitalised.
“These all happened because their children decided to balik kampung.”
Amar said Kelantan had made it mandatory for travellers to produce negative swab test results before entering the state.
The swab test, he said, must be done 72 hours prior.
On Friday, Kelantan police said they had detected a five per cent increase in traffic into the state.
State deputy police chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Abdullah Muhammad Piah said the figure was obtained from roadblocks in Jeli.
However, state police on Saturday said there were no signs of an increase in vehicles entering the state.
Kelantan police traffic department chief Superintendent Shuhaimi Jusoh said this was based on their checks in Gua Musang,
Jeli and Pasir Puteh between 6am and noon.
However, he said, there was an increase in the number of motorists in several town areas yesterday.
Police believe the increase was due to locals out for Aidiladha shopping.
In Perak, 35 vehicles were denied entry into Kelantan at two roadblocks mounted in Gerik.
Perak police chief Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said the drivers were made to turn back after passing the roadblock at Km89 of Jalan Gerik-Kuala Kangsar and Km9 of the GerikJeli East-West Highway.
“Nineteen vehicles, including 14 with Miti letters, were told to return at the first roadblock.
“Another 13 vehicles had to turn back as they were also using the letters to get through the roadblock at the Gerik-Jeli EastWest Highway,” he said.
Mior said the number of vehicles entering Kelantan yesterday had decreased compared with Saturday.