KUALA LUMPUR: Residents in areas under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) have expressed frustration over the haphazard and inconsistent messages from the authorities on standard operating procedures (SOP).
Bukit Bandaraya Residents Association adviser Datuk Mumtaz Ali said there were different instructions from the Health director-general, senior minister in charge of the security cluster and federal territories minister.
"All these different entities must sit down and meet properly. There shouldn't be any afterthought after a major announcement is made.
"The authorities should not be correcting their announcements when the public is confused with what was announced."
He was responding to the unhappiness expressed by many people following the announcement of conflicting directives from different authority figures.
For two days, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah proposed the tightening of SOP under the CMCO following the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the country.
Yesterday, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that private and public sector employees in management and supervisory levels in CMCO areas are to work from home from tomorrow.
However, this announcement came two days after Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said public parks in Kuala Lumpur, which are also under the CMCO, could reopen.
Desa Sri Hartamas Residents Association president Lavinia Kumarendran said the work-from-home directive was unclear about the types of workers affected.
"The minister was clear when he said the directive was intended to reduce the movement of people in CMCO areas.
"But his announcement became confusing when he said exemptions will be given to workers whose jobs require them to go to the workplace, such as employees from the finance department and those in enforcement, management and welfare."
She said there was a disconnect between these differing instructions, adding that the work-from-home directive seemed to clash with the directive to allow people to go to public parks.
She said the public park in her neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur had more than 50 visitors in a day last weekend.
She said even though Kuala Lumpur City Hall had put up notices to stop people from entering the playground at the park, people still entered the area.
Taman Melawati Residents Association chairman Azhari Abd Taharim questioned why there were different rulings imposed on the public.
"There is one from the Health Ministry and different instructions from other ministries. The world and our country are facing a crisis and we cannot decide who will call the shots! Even the decision to allow gyms in CMCO areas to continue is not right."
Taman Tun Dr Ismail Residents Association chairman Abdul Hafiz Abu Bakar said he preferred to follow instructions from the Health Ministry compared with other authorities.
"It's confusing whenever there are new announcements, so we tend to only follow instructions from the Health director-general."
He said residents keep themselves informed of the latest updates via information from the National Security Council's and Health Ministry's social media, which are then shared on the association's WhatsApp chat group.