Gov’t 'welcomes' communities’ initiatives to safeguard neighbourhood during MCO

CORONAVIRUS |  The government welcomes various communities’ own initiatives to safeguard their neighbourhood as part of anti-Covid-19 measures during the movement control order (MCO) period, said Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Ismail said that while communities nationwide are encouraged to undertake these initiatives to control outsiders from entering their neighbourhoods, he urged them to seek advice from the police on the do’s and don’ts when doing these initiatives.

“We welcome (these community initiatives). That is why back then, I informed communities that they themselves can act to control their respective areas.

“Only that they need to inform the police as there are certain rules, such as they themselves cannot effect an arrest on their own.

“They are encouraged to safeguard the interest of their respective communities but please discuss with the police to avoid any unwanted incidents and to inform the police and get police advice on what they can and cannot do,” he said.

He was speaking during a press conference in Putrajaya which was broadcasted live on Facebook this afternoon.

He was answering a question from the media over some communities in the country having taking their own initiative to control the movement of people coming in and out of their neighbourhoods during the MCO.

Ismail Sabri explained that the government understands why communities would conduct these types of initiatives to control the flow of outsiders coming into their neighbourhoods during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I heard that certain Orang Asli villages in my own (Parliamentary) constituency (Bera) have set up their own restriction (sekatan).

“In Sarawak, there are longhouse (rumah panjang) areas where they set up their own restriction (sekatan) to safeguard their health by preventing the entry of people from outside.

“For example, let us say their area is Green Zone, zero Covid-19. Of course they would not want someone from a Red Zone (which has a high rate of Covid-19 positive cases) to enter their areas, so they take it upon themselves (to restrict the entry of people into the longhouse areas in the Green Zone),” Ismail Sabri said.

Meanwhile with regard to a question from the media on the time of operation for food delivery service during Ramadan in the MCO period, he said that the National Security Council (NSC) will issue a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the matter within the next two or three days.

He said that the NSC needs time to look at the matter as it involves the possibility of food-delivery for Muslims who would wake up in the early hours of the morning to “sahur” (meal eaten by Muslims before commencing fasting).- Mkini