Gov't to study travel requests, public urged to register interest

CORONAVIRUS | The public has been urged to inform the authorities of their domestic travel needs in order for the government to design safe procedures for them to do so.

To register an interest in travelling, the public can use the Gerak Malaysia smartphone application. For those without the necessary equipment, these registrations can be conducted at any police station with prior appointment to avoid crowding.

At a press conference today, Senior Minister (security cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob (above) explained that this was necessary for the authorities to understand and study the volume and nature of such travel.

He said the data collected would allow the authorities to design standard operating procedures and rules for travel. He stressed that any final decision would only be made by the National Security Council (NSC) on the advice of the Health Ministry.

"There are a lot of complaints about people running out of clothes in their villages. Some have concerns and wish to return to their homes near their place of work.

"Some are worried that their homes (in the city) were broken into. Some are split from family. So they wish to go back. The government is aware," he said.

Unlike tertiary education students currently sheltering in hostels, the government does not have an exact figure of those wishing to travel away from small towns and villages.

Ismail said that the Gerak Malaysia application is a collaboration between the police and the Health Ministry, and registrations will begin on April 25.

Checks by Malaysiakini revealed that the application is currently available on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Yesterday, Ismail announced that the government was drawing up plans to send students stuck in hostels home since the students were already under effective quarantine for more than a month. - Mkini