CORONAVIRUS | The army will be deployed to assist police in monitoring the situation amid a movement control order to curb the Covid-19 outbreak, said Defence Minister Ismail Sabri.
"Today's meeting decided that the army will help the police in monitoring the situation especially to ensure that the rakyat is following the instructions so that they will stay in their own houses.
"The army will be mobilised this Sunday and we are confident that with the army's help, stricter enforcement can be carried out," he told a press conference in Putrajaya today.
Ismail said the health minister has the prerogative to appoint any government agency to help in monitoring the order under the law.
"I would like to explain under Section 5 of the Prevention and Infectious Disease Control 1988, the health minister has the authority to appoint or provide power to any government agency needed to control or implement the order.
"The police received the authority letter from the health minister.
"I believed the defence ministry received a similar letter. So there's no need to question the instructions from the government," he said.
No emergency proclamation
Sabri advised the public against believing fake news on social media including a message that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has agreed to the declaration of a state of emergency.
"I don't have that intention and it's not in the government's plan to declare an emergency.
"The rumour was that army assets will be deployed for an emergency. I hope people don't believe fake news."
Sabri added that the other fake news in regard to the Army is that they would use pesticide to kill the Covid-19 virus during midnight.
Gov't to bring back M'sians in Italy, Iran
In another update, Ismail said 55 Malaysians in Iran and 94 in Italy would be returning home on March 22 and March 23 respectively.
"They will undergo 14 days quarantine because they are coming from high-risk countries," he said.
Noting the possibility of workers in the essential industry facing a problem en route to work during roadblocks, Ismail said the government will issue exemption travel passes to those workers.
"There's a possibility that government and private sector workers will have problems to prove to the authorities that they are going to work.
"So chief secretaries of each ministry will issue exemption travel letters to the workers, while a senior minister in charge of the economic cluster, (Mohamed) Azmin (Ali), will get letters for private entities."
Stay home, don't come to KL
Ismail also urged those in other states to stay in their respective places and avoid coming to Kuala Lumpur during the school holidays.
"I urge parents whose children are having school holidays, to stay in the village, don't come to Kuala Lumpur.
"For those who had returned to their hometowns from Kuala Lumpur, just stay wherever you are," he said. - Mkini
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