Size does matter

Number of persons travelling together now based on vehicle capacity, says senior minister

KUCHING: The number of passengers travelling together in a vehicle can now be based on the vehicle’s capacity, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said following a meeting yesterday, it has been decided that starting today, more than four passengers can travel in a vehicle provided it is within the vehicle’s specified capacity.

“The government has gazetted the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas No. 6 Amendment) Regulation 2020.

“The regulations here state that passengers of private vehicles are based on the respective vehicle’s capacity under the Road Transport Act 1987.

“If the capacity of a car only allows four individuals, this means one driver plus three passengers (will be allowed), whereas in the case of MPVs (multi-purpose vehicles), they can have up to a maximum of seven individuals,” he said during his daily press conference on the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Putrajaya yesterday.

However Ismail Sabri pointed out that despite this new directive, other directives such as those who are travelling together must be family members or staying under the same roof, will still apply.

Previously, the government only allowed four individuals to travel in a vehicle during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).

Meanwhile, Bernama reported Ismail Sabri as also saying during the press conference that the Malaysian government will deport all illegal immigrants who test negative for Covid-19, to their countries of origin.

Ismail Sabri, who chaired the Special Meeting on the Management of Illegal Immigrants yesterday, said matters relating to the deportation process will be discussed by the Foreign Ministry and their counterparts and embassies of the countries involved soon.

“Among other matters agreed in the meeting were the swab test on all illegal immigrants detained at the immigration depots in KLIA, Bukit Jalil and Semenyih,” he added.

At the same briefing, Ismail Sabri said in addition to the Covid-19 quarantine and treatment centre at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang, the government has also included the Sungai Buloh Leprosy Hospital and the old maternity block of Kuala Lumpur Hospital specifically to treat illegal immigrants tested positive for Covid-19.

These centres can accommodate up to 1,430 patients.

The senior minister also stressed that there was no discrimination against the illegal immigrants in the country as the action taken by the government to arrest them was meant to protect the majority of Malaysians who are complying with the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the CMCO to curb the spread of Covid-19.

“Illegal immigrants are people who enter another country illegally. I don’t know (if there is) any country in this world that would allow such people to enter their country by illegal means (and) without valid documents and to move freely. No country would allow that.

If the capacity of a car only allows four individuals, this means one driver plus three passengers (will be allowed), whereas in the case of MPVs (multipurpose vehicles), they can have up to a maximum of seven individuals.

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob

“Entering a country illegally is against the law and they can be arrested. That is clear. It’s a nonissue. If they are not detained and they are positive (with Covid-19), surely they will spread the virus to innocent people,” he said.

On Monday, a report stated that 227 illegal immigrants detained at immigration depots in Bukit Jalil, KLIA Sepang and Semenyih, had tested positive for Covid-19.