Muhyiddin: No need for panic buying, enough food available during conditional MCO

PETALING JAYA: There should be no panic buying during the conditional movement control order (MCO) as the supply of food is more than sufficient, says Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

"There is no need to buy two or three months worth of food as stock. Just buy two or three days worth of food as normal, then go out and buy it again when it finishes, ” he said at a press conference on Tuesday (Oct 13).

He said that under the conditional MCO, heads of households can go out daily to purchase food and essential items from the markets, malls and supermarkets, adding that they will remain open.

"As seen from our past experience, we have more than ample food supply and the issue of having insufficient food does not arise," he added.

Muhyiddin said that unlike the previous MCO in March, the conditional MCO that comes into force from 12.01am on Wednesday (Oct 14) provides some "breathing space" which allows people to carry out daily activities.

Muhyiddin was asked to comment on reports of panic buying following the announcement of the start of the two-week conditional MCO in Sabah, Selangor, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur.

The conditional MCO in Sabah began at 12.01am on Tuesday and runs until Oct 26 while the conditional MCO for Selangor, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur begins at 12.01am on Wednesday and will run until Oct 27.

Asked on why the conditional MCO was implemented for the entire state of Selangor state instead of the areas affected by Covid-19, Muhyiddin said the decision was a proactive and preemptive step to curb the further spread of the virus in the state.

He said that although targeted MCOs were initially announced for areas such as Klang and Petaling, he said the decision to impose the current conditional MCO was based on data which revealed a rising trend in the number of cases such as in Gombak and Hulu Langat.

"It is better that we take drastic steps now rather than wait for the cases to keep on rising. This pre-emptive action will give us some leeway to curb the spread of the virus," he added.