ALL STATES SUBJECT TO CMCO
Gazetting of CMCO makes MCO null and void, says Ismail Sabri
THE Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), which came into effect yesterday, has been gazetted, meaning that all regulations under the previous Movement Control Order (MCO) are now null and void.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this meant that states and districts were subjected to the standard operating procedures (SOP) as gazetted under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342), which is still in effect.
He said once the CMCO, also known as the MCO Phase 5 (MCO5), was gazetted, it would render the MCO null and void as the gazette contained a starting and end date.
“If some people still wish to follow the regulations under MCO4, then they are in the wrong as it has been replaced by MCO5.
“All states are subject to MCO5. I hope (the states) realise this and will adhere to the MCO5,” he said at his daily briefing on the Covid19 situation here yesterday.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had last week unveiled the CMCO, which aimed to restart the economic sector following the MCO.
Under the CMCO, businesses such as restaurants could resume operations, subject to conditions.
Several states, however, have opted against adopting the CMCO, arguing that their situations, such as having Covid-19 clusters, meant that it was unsafe for economic activity to resume.
Penang announced its Penang Gradual Recovery Strategy, which will see sectors reopening in stages from May 8 to 13.
Ismail Sabri said there appeared to be confusion among some who believed that Act 342 was no longer in force when the CMCO came into effect.
“The punishment is the same: a RM1,000 compound or six months’ jail, or both.
“This means the status is the same even though the name has changed.”
He said business owners who failed to comply with the SOP could face the same action and have their premises shuttered.
“I would like to remind everyone that all the regulations are gazetted and once this is done, the previous regulations are revoked.
“For example, under the MCO Phase 4 gazette, only two people could travel in a vehicle.
“But when the CMCO was implemented, the gazette states that four people are allowed in a car.
“This means that the previous regulation has been rescinded and we are now following a new one.”
He said the police, armed forces and other enforcement agencies would focus on SOP compliance during the CMCO.