Ismail Sabri: Police, army to be deployed at Selayang markets to enforce social distancing

PETALING JAYA: Police and army personnel will be deployed at the Selayang wholesale and wet markets to enforce social distancing, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The Defence Minister said that this was done following the failure of traders and consumers to follow social distancing rules during the movement control order (MCO).

“(Traders and buyers) at the Selayang wholesale and wet markets are still crowding, without following the standard operating procedure (SOP) such as having physical distance of one metre between each other.

“So, we made a decision on Sunday (April 5) morning to deploy police and army personnel to the markets to ensure that everyone adheres to the SOP placed by the Health Ministry and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM),” he said at a press conference.

He said that the presence of police and army personnel at the markets will lead to an improvement of the situation, as had been observed at the Air Itam market in Penang.

It was reported that eight individuals from the market have been found to be positive with Covid-19.

On another matter, Ismail said that the government has ordered the Attorney General's Chambers, the police, and the Prisons Department to discuss on finding a solution to the issue of overcrowding in prisons.

He said that the issue should be resolved immediately.

He said this following a letter sent by the Prisons Department’s director-general Datuk Seri Zulkifli Omar, highlighting the overcrowding in prisons after a spate of MCO violators have been sentenced to undergo imprisonment.

Zulkifli, in his letter, said that overcrowding in prisons could increase the risk of Covid-19 spreading in the country’s prisons.