Home Ministry tells its agencies to step up operations against Covid-19 SOP violators

PETALING JAYA: The Home Ministry has called on all its enforcement agencies to increase operations against movement control order (MCO) standard operating procedure (SOP) violators.

These agencies have collectively deployed a force of more than 100,000 throughout MCO 3.0 so far.

In a statement on Monday (May 24), the ministry said it was closely monitoring the Covid-19 pandemic development in the country and took note of the government’s decision to tighten compliance with SOPs aimed at curbing the transmission of the virus.

"All departments and agencies under the ministry such as the police, Immigration, Prisons Department, Rela, Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), National Anti-Drug Agency and Malaysian Border Security Agency (Aksem) will increase the number of operations to monitor, warn and take stern action against any individual found to have violated the gazetted SOPs," it said.

It added that apart from increasing the number of personnel and operational strength at roadblocks in the field, monitoring would also be conducted nationwide including at business and industrial premises, office buildings and residential areas as well as terminals and public transport stations such as KTM Komuter, LRT, MRT, ERL, KL Monorail and e-hailing services.

"The ministry calls on all parties to continue to comply with the SOPs that have been decided by the National Security Council (NSC) and cooperate with all efforts and measures taken by the government to protect the lives of the people from the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Since the implementation of the MCO to date, a total of 100,980 members from various departments and agencies have been deployed for Covid-19 duties," it said.