KUALA LUMPUR: The second phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO), which came into effect yesterday, will see only 10 essential services in operations as compared to the initial 22.
This came following the government’s move to tighten the MCO to combat the spread of Covid-19.
The refined list of essential services was listed in the Federal Gazette - Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within Infected Local Areas) (No.2) Regulations 2020, published on March 31.
Under this latest gazette, signed by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, the 10 essential services:
1. Food
2. Water
3. Energy
4. Communications and Internet
5. Security and defence
6. Solid waste and public cleansing management and sewerage
7. Healthcare and medical including dietary supplement
8. Banking and finance
9. E-commerce
10. Logistics confined to the provision of essential services.
Essential services listed in the March 18 gazette that are not in the latest gazette include port, dock and airport services; prison; refining, storage, supply and distribution of fuel and lubricants; wildlife; immigration; customs; and hotels and accommodations.
In this regulation, “essential services” have been defined as “services as specified in the Schedule and includes any activity and process in the supply chain of such essential services.”
According to the gazette, a person may move from one place to another place within any infected local area or from one infected local area to another infected local area for five purposes.
These are to purchase food, daily necessities, medicine or dietary supplement; to supply or deliver food, daily necessities, medicine or dietary supplement; to seek healthcare or medical services;
to perform any official duty; or to perform any duty in relation to any essential services.
“Infected local area” means any area declared to be an infected local area under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Declaration of Infected Local Areas) Order 2020.