Two Johor detention centres placed under 2-week EMCO
KUALA LUMPUR: The Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) will be enforced at two detention centres in Johor following a spike in Covid-19 cases in these areas.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the lock-up at the Home Ministry’s Setia Tropika Complex and Immigration Department’s facility at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, both in Johor Baru, would be placed under a two-week long EMCO starting today.
He said the decision was made after a total of 90 Covid-19 cases were detected in these places.
“To date, the Health Ministry has screened 82 illegal immigrants at the Setia Tropika Complex and out of that number, 39 tested positive for the coronavirus.
“Meanwhile, up to March 25, a total of 51 cases were reported at the Immigration Department’s detention centre following screening of symptomatic detainees.
“After conducting a risk assessment with various agencies and on the advice of the Health Ministry, the government has agreed to implement the EMCO at these centres from March 28 to April 10,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Ismail Sabri said the EMCO was needed to enable the Health Ministry to conduct targeted screening on all detainees, staff, and their close contacts.
This, he added, was to prevent further infection in the community.
“The standard operating procedures for the EMCO at the detention centres will be similar to other cases, which include prohibition of entry and exit, and from visits by families.”
He said the EMCO at Kampung Lingkudau, Keningau, Sabah would end today as scheduled.
He said a total of 1,396 people were screened at the site, where 91 tested positive for Covid-19.
“The Health Ministry has confirmed that the remaining positive cases in this locality showed a declining trend, the cluster was under control and the last case reported was on March 23.
“Therefore, following a risk assessment with the relevant agencies and on the Health Ministry's recommendation, the EMCO in the area would be lifted as scheduled.”
On a related issue, Ismail Sabri said police nabbed 80 people on Friday for violating the movement restriction standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Out of the total, 79 people were slapped with compounds and one was remanded.
He said among the violations were for not providing equipment to record customer details (26 cases), entertainment centre activities (24), failure to practise physical distancing (16), travelling inter-state and inter-district without permission (nine), not wearing face masks (four) and one other case.
“The compliance operation task force led by the police yesterday had conducted 68,389 inspections to monitor and enforce the SOP.
“A total of 3,528 compliance team comprising 15,578 personnel conducted inspections at 6,114 restaurants, 4,559 supermarkets, 4,217 hawker stalls, 3,164 banks, 2,020 factories, 960 government offices, and 139 public and agricultural markets,
“Also inspected were 18,080 recreational and leisure areas, 3,664 land transport terminals, 1,753 water transport terminals, 822 air transport terminals, and 334 places of worship.”
On Op Benteng, Ismail Sabri said the authorities arrested 10 illegal immigrants and also seized six vehicles and a boat.
He added that the police, armed forces, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Malaysian Border Security Agency, as well as other security and enforcement agencies mounted 257 Op Benteng and Op Penawar roadblocks nationwide on Friday.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said 155,390 people had returned or were allowed to enter the country since July 24 last year.
They included 1,340 people who arrived from abroad via the country’s international entry points on Friday.
“Those who arrived from abroad were placed under quarantine at 80 hotels as well as eight public and private training institutions throughout the country.
“Of the 155,390 returnees, 6,623 people have been placed under quarantine and 147,608 were allowed to return home, while 1,159 were taken to hospitals.”