CORONAVIRUS | There is an exodus from the Klang Valley as residents attempt to beat the enforcement of the movement control order at midnight.
As of 10.20pm, traffic applications Google Maps and Waze showed unusually heavy traffic streaming out of the Klang Valley along the North-South Expressway in both northern and southern directions.
The same was observed along the Karak Highway, with motorists mostly heading west.
Malaysiakini noticed long queues at police stations in the Klang Valley and Nilai, Negeri Sembilan. People were seeking to obtain a "permit" to cross state borders.
Earlier today, the police had announced that those wishing to travel inter-state during the order period had to notify the police in writing. This order has been rescinded late this evening after police stations were overwhelmed.
Witnesses also told Malaysiakini that the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) bus station was saturated with people hoping to leave the Klang Valley.
However, TBS has posted a notice online stating that the terminal was not as crowded as depicted in some of the photos being circulated online.
It claimed certain parties were intentionally sharing images taken during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri period in 2017 and not last night.
Social distancing - a proven method of reducing the chances of getting infected by the Covid-19 virus - was clearly not being observed at the police stations and the bus station.
Infectious disease expert Dr Christopher Lee warned that such activities might defeat ongoing efforts to stop the spread of the Covid-19 disease.
The former head of the Health Ministry's infectious diseases unit said there might be infected people among those trying to leave Klang Valley who could potentially spread the disease across the country.
"Perhaps we should have primed the public weeks earlier on what potential mitigation measures were on the cards.
"They need to understand the rationale of the movement restriction. Folks may respond in a counterproductive way if they don't understand," he added.
Similarly, specialist doctor Helmy Haja Mydin said the exodus would lead to an exponential rise in Covid-19 infections.
Thousands of people would not have to turn up for work tomorrow due to the movement control order which has forced most businesses shut until March 31.
The idea was to stop people from gathering and keep them at home in order to slow the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus, which has claimed two lives so far and made more than 600 others ill.
However, the government did not mandate that people were to stay at home during the period the order was in force.
PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said the mass exodus clearly showed that the implementation was not well thought out.
"Clearly the government did not carefully think though what needs to be done, and there was no preparation to the extent where there is chaos amongst the people in several locations, including at the Bandar Baru Bangi police station," he said on Twitter.
He shared a photo of the long queue towards the police station. -Mkini
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