Cops, soldiers to ensure social distancing in markets, supermarkets

A soldier speaks to a motorist at a roadblock. Police and army personnel will also be stationed in markets and supermarkets to ensure compliance with the movement control order.

PETALING JAYA: Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said police and army personnel will be placed in markets and supermarkets, where people are still rushing to buy goods, to ensure social distancing.

He said the police and army personnel will, with the help of the local councils, ensure that people keep a 1m distance from each other and “maybe take turns to enter the markets”.

At a press conference, Ismail Sabri said 10% of the people were not complying with the movement control order (MCO), “still a large number given our population”.

“Many people still do not want to care about the MCO. I hope that with the army’s assistance, things will improve.”

He said the soldiers will help man roadblocks, go on patrols, and ensure security in places like hospitals, markets and supermarkets and border crossings.

Besides the army, Ismail said, more than 1,000 Rela and 3,000 Civil Defence Force personnel have been deployed to help ensure compliance with the MCO.

All in all, with the army, Rela, Civil Defence Force and local council enforcement agencies, 50,000 personnel will be on the ground.

Ismail said the police had traced nearly 9,000 members from the Sri Petaling mosque tabligh convention cluster, and appealed to the remaining members and their families to step forward for screening.

“We ask the tabligh members to surrender, not to arrest them but to take them and their family members to the clinic for screening,” he said, adding that members of the public who knew these people should report them.

Ismail, who is one of four senior ministers, dismissed rumours being spread on the army’s involvement, including that there will be tanks at roadblocks and that the army is taking over the police’s role.

“This is not true, the army personnel are there to assist the police, including advising the people. Only the police have power to arrest, so there is no need to worry.”

However, he said that while the authorities were still at the stage of advising people, this could change. - FMT