Stern action against those who ignore SOP while enjoying leisure activities, warn police

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) says stern action would be taken against those who are found ignoring standard operating procedures (SOPs), in particular physical distancing while enjoying recreational activities in public areas.

Bukit Aman Department of Internal Security and Public Order (KDNKA) deputy director Datuk Mastor Mohd Ariff said police would be forced to act sternly if things get out of control and if there are too many visitors.

"We don’t plan to close down public places found to be overcrowded because we have checked and found that the visitors came from the same bubble. We will only increase monitoring of the area.

"PDRM is aware of public enthusiasm to have fun in rivers, fields and beaches, especially those from Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. As such, we will continue to monitor and make announcements from time to time with reminders so that they abide by the SOP and social distancing,” he said in a statement on Monday (Sept 13).

Datuk Mastor also said police would be working together with Rela under Ops Patuh to conduct scheduled monitoring in areas which are expected to be the focal point.

Mastor also said most of the visitors who came for recreation were with family members who either came together or are staying together and the location is only crowded on Saturdays and Sundays.

He was commenting on pictures and videos which appeared on social media showing the public bathing in rivers and visiting recreational parks, disregarding social distancing last weekend.

Beginning last Friday, the government announced that cross-district were allowed after Klang Valley transitioned to Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP).

This resulted in the public taking the opportunity to carry out all sorts of recreational activities including picnicking and sports activities. - Bernama