EMCO extended at Tawau Prison and quarters

KUALA LUMPUR: The worsening Covid-19 situation in Sabah has led to the authorities extending the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) for Tawau Prison and Taman Ehsan Tawau Prison Quarters until Oct 9.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the EMCO, scheduled to end on Sept 25, would be extended due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.

“The government previously announced the enforcement of the EMCO for Tawau Prison and Taman Ehsan Tawau Prison Quarters from Sept 11 to Sept 25.

“During that period, two-digit cases were recorded in the area and on Sept 23, 107 new cases were reported.

“Taking into account the risk assessment of the spread of the epidemic, the government has agreed to extend the EMCO for another 14 days from Sept 26 to Oct 9,” he said yesterday.

The administrative EMCO imposed in the Melor zone in Amanjaya, Kedah, on Sept 14 ended yesterday as scheduled.

The decision to end the EMCO in the Melor zone, said Ismail Sabri, was made after the area recorded no new Covid-19 cases for 13 days since Sept 14.

“A total of 4,931 samples were taken in the Melor zone and the number of Covid-19 cases remained at 13 as recorded on Sept 13.”

The number of those found to have flouted the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) standard operating procedures (SOP) reached a record high on Saturday, with 523 people detained.

From the total, 356 involved nightclub and pub-goers.

Ismail Sabri, who is also defence minister, said 483 people were issued compounds, while 40 were remanded.

Besides engaging in activities at nightclubs and pubs, other offences include failure to practise physical distancing (105), not wearing face masks (38), and failure to prepare equipment/entry and exit records (20). In addition, four illegal immigrants were arrested.

“The compliance operations task force led by the police conducted 45,847 inspections to enforce the SOP,” said Ismail Sabri.

“A total of 2,424 compliance teams comprising 11,244 personnel conducted inspections at 3,213 supermarkets, 3,893 restaurants, 1,017 stalls, 1,011 factories, 2,896 banks and 520 government offices.

“Also inspected were 903 land, 207 water and 99 air transport terminals.”

He said the authorities confiscated three land vehicles and detained 75 illegal immigrants for attempting to enter the country, especially via rat lanes, as part of Op Benteng.

He said between July 24 and Saturday, 35,991 individuals who returned to the country via international gateways were screened.

He said they were placed at 67 hotels and nine other premises, including public training institutes in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Johor, Sarawak, Kelantan, Perak, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu, Sabah and Labuan.

From the total number of returnees, he said, 8,349 individuals were placed under mandatory quarantine, 103 were sent to hospitals for treatment while 27,539 had been discharged and allowed to return home.

They returned from 33 countries, namely, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, India, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, Iran, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Timor Leste, Taiwan, China, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Egypt, Spain, France, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Ismail Sabri said the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry’s enforcement team inspected supplies of 12 goods in 668 business premises, including 479 retailers, 161 wholesalers and 28 manufacturers.

“Enforcement officers also conducted 948 special RMCO SOP compliance inspections and found that 933 premises had complied with the SOP, while 15 premises were issued guidelines for failing to adhere to the SOP.”

He said the Housing and Local Government Ministry had, since March 30, conducted 10,123 sanitation operations in 135 zones.

He said 13,055 premises had been sanitised comprising 2,715 business premises, 5,763 government offices, 1,600 housing areas, 2,623 public places and 354 supermarkets.

He said 16 sanitisation operations were carried out on Saturday covering one red zone and 13 green zones involving six states — Sarawak (six operations), Penang (four), Sabah (three) and one each in Kedah, Pahang and Perlis.