FOLLOW SOP, WEE URGES COMMUTERS
Public transport users must wear masks and practise social distancing, says minister
PUBLIC transport users have been told to practise self awareness and adhere to the Health Ministry’s standard operating procedures (SOP) by wearing face masks and practising social distancing.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said commuters needed to follow these rules before they boarded the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), Light Rail Transit and feeder buses.
Everyone, he said, must be disciplined to comply with the SOP to stop the spread of Covid-19.
“We have instructed passengers to wear masks to protect themselves.
“We will ask operators to provide face masks to passengers who do not have them for a day or two. They must wear one, regardless of its standard.
“The awareness is there and I seek the cooperation of commuters to care for their hygiene and health.
“This is what we must do and practise under the new norm.”
Wee said this after taking an MRT ride from the Taman Mutiara station to Bukit Bintang to monitor operations on the first day of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) yesterday.
He was accompanied by Prasarana Malaysia acting chief executive officer Muhammad Nizam Alias.
Wee said Prasarana sanitised its stations and trains daily and its personnel checked the body temperature of passengers.
Passengers were given hand sanitiser before they were allowed into the station while those with high body temperatures would be barred, he added.
Prasarana auxiliary police personnel in trains would remind passengers about social distancing, he added.
He said despite the opening of almost all economic sectors under the CMCO, traffic near the Taman Mutiara station and its feeder bus stop was lower than expected.
He said there was no large crowd at the station, which could cater to 7,000 passengers, and there were only about a dozen people in a feeder bus that could seat 20.
The number of passengers at busier stations such as Muzium Negara was not significant either, he added.
“There is a possibility that many companies are at the planning stage and we ask that it (the reopening) can be made in phases.
“The number of daily passengers dropped to five per cent during the first, second and third phases of the Movement Control Order (MCO).
“But we are preparing for ridership to return to normal, although the numbers are small now. The frequency of MRT trains is maintained. We want to prove that our public transport system is reliable.”
Meanwhile, roadblocks in the city were lifted yesterday.
City Traffic Enforcement Investigation Department chief Assistant Commissioner Zulkefly Yahya said the withdrawal of the roadblocks, which were in place since the MCO was enforced on March 18, was to ensure a smoother traffic flow for those returning to work.
He said eight roadblocks in the city were lifted following a 48day shutdown caused by the Covid-19 threat.
He said there was a 30 per cent increase in the number of vehicles entering Kuala Lumpur yesterday, compared with the MCO period.
He said most roads in the city centre were clear with only light traffic.
“We anticipated some traffic in the city because most businesses and employees were allowed to return to work today (yesterday). However, that was not the case.
“We saw only slow-moving traffic in Jalan Tun Razak leading up to the Maju Highway in the morning, Otherwise, traffic in most roads in and around the city centre was smooth.”