AGC: Laws for MCO Phase 2 gazetted

KUALA LUMPUR: Laws for the second phase of the movement control order (MCO) from April 1 to April 14 have been gazetted under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the local Infected Areas) (Extension of Operation) Regulations 2020, says the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC).

In a statement released late Monday (April 13) evening, the AGC said four laws were in force for the period of April 1 to April 14, which are the:

1) Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Declaration of Infected Local Areas) (Extension of Operation) Order 2020

2) Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) (No. 2) Regulations 2020

3) Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) (No. 2) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

4) Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Regulations 2020 (Compounding of Offences) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2020.

It added that the laws for the third phase of MCO from April 15 to April 28 are currently being prepared, it added.

This was in response to a statement by lawyer Datuk N. Sivananthan in the article, "New gazette needed to enforce phase 3 of MCO, says Bar", which was published by a news portal on Monday (April 13).

According to the article, the AGC had gazetted the laws for the first phase of the MCO from March 18 until March 31 but it did not do the same for the second and the third phases.

Sivananthan reportedly said without a new federal gazette, it would appear that there had been no MCO since April 1.

"Theoretically, if this is the case, any summons issued or arrest by the police for violating the MCO under the regulations has no legal basis," Sivananthan said.

It was also said in the article that Health Minister Datuk Seri Adham Baba had only gazetted regulations from March 18 to March 31.