KUALA LUMPUR: As the country enters the second phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO) tomorrow, the Ministry of Transport aims at further reducing person-to-person contact on public transportation.
The ministry, in a statement today, said that this measure was needed to reduce incidences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In line with the government’s efforts and operations to reduce incidences of the Covid-19 pandemic and put the country in the path to full recovery, several difficult decisions had to be made under the second phase of MCO from April 1 to 14,” it said.
In the ministry’s effort to break the potential chains of the deadly infection during the MCO, taxis and e-hailing vehicles will only be operating from 6am to 10pm.
For delivery services, it will be allowed to operate between 8am to 8pm.
Meanwhile, the operational hours under the MCO for stage buses, express buses, trains and their terminals will be from 6am to 10am and from 5pm to 10pm, as previously announced.
The ministry said that although the government acknowledged that essential goods such as food and medicine must be delivered to its destinations unimpeded, logistics and transportation companies have been encouraged to move their goods between 7pm and 7am.
This will allow most unhindered movement during the MCO.
The ministry and the Land Public Transportation Agency (APAD) also reminded all operators, drivers and land public transport operators to adhere to the stay-home order and related regulations whilst placing safety and health as priority.
It similarly reminded passengers and other members of the public to always adhere to the said regulations including practising social distancing of at least 1 metre, wearing face masks and reducing crowding while using public transportation during this period.
“This is especially in line with established measures to prevent the transmission of Covid-19,” the ministry said.