KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur and Sabah will be placed under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) following the nationwide spike in Covid-19 cases following last month's Sabah state election.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the CMCO in Sabah takes effect from midnight today (12.01am, Oct 13) until Oct 26.
The CMCO in Selangor, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur will begin at 12.01am on Oct 14 until Oct 27, he said.
"This (decision) was made based on advice by the Health Ministry and also considering the continuous increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in areas such as Klang, Petaling and Gombak as well as other districts.
"To stop the chain of infection, the National Security Council (NSC) meeting today agreed to place Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya under CMCO starting at 12.01am on Oct 14 (Wednesday) until Oct 27," he said in a live telecast today.
Nevertheless, Ismail said all economic activities at the four places are allowed to operate as usual but with certain strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) which will be announced by the NSC soon.
Some activities, according to Ismail, are prohibited during the CMCO period such as holding wedding receptions or participating in any sports, recreational, social and cultural activities as well as entering a night club.
Inter-district travel will also be barred during this period and workers will need to show their work pass or consent letter from employers to move from a district to another.
"Only two persons from a household will be allowed to go out and buy essentials.
"All schools, higher learning institutions, skills training institutes, kindergartens, nurseries, tahfiz centres, public parks and recreational parks will close as well as mosques and non-Muslim houses of worship.
Since the campaigning season for the Sabah state election started last month, the number of Covid-19 positive cases rose from one digit to three, causing alarm nationwide as a chunk of those affected were from the peninsular.
Aside from the public, some politicians have also tested positive for the virus after the state election concluded on Sept 26.
Among the politicians affected include Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri and Umno Information Chief Shahril Hamdan, among others.
Following the rise in positive cases, several places have already been placed under CMCO such as Lahad Datu, Tawau, Kunak and Semporna, Kota Kinabalu, Penampang as well as Putatan while a few other areas were placed under the Enhanced MCO (EMCO).
To further ensure the safety of Sabahans, Ismail said the government decided to implement the CMCO for the entire state with strict SOPs to follow.
Just like the upcoming CMCO in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, all activities that could attract big crowds in Sabah are also prohibited such as religious, sports, cultural or recreational activities.
Inter-state travellers will need proper documents to show front liners on duty or they will be told to go home and as for shopping for daily necessities, Ismail said only two persons in the same household are allowed to do so.
According to Ismail, wholesale and daily markets will operate from 6am to 2pm in Sabah, convenience stores will be opened from 6am to 6pm while eateries will only open from 6am to 6pm but limited to either takeaways, deliveries or drive-thru services only.
"Petrol stations are allowed to operate from 6am to 6pm, taxi and e-hailing services as well as food deliveries are allowed between 6am and 8pm.
"Express busses are not allowed to operate. Pharmacies are allowed to operate from 6am to 6pm. Hospitals and clinics will be opened 24 hours.
"The fishery, plantation and agriculture sectors are allowed (to operate). Business and manufacturing sectors including Small and Medium Industries (SMIs) who wish to continue operations can se
nd in applications to the Sabah Disaster Management Committee," he said.
Aside from the CMCO for the entire Sabah, Ismail said Felda Umas in Semporna will also be placed under EMCO starting midnight on Oct 13 until Oct 26 following detection of Covid-19 cases there.
The EMCO there involves 800 houses, 17,549 residents and according to Ismail, they are all not allowed to leave their houses except for emergencies in which case they can exit the red zone once they receive travel consent from the police.
"The Health Ministry will do targeted screening for all residents involved. Food will be distributed by the state government and it will be coordinated by the state Disaster Operation Control Centre," Ismail said.