Selangor wanted lockdown on PJ Utara, not state-wide conditional MCO

 

COVID-19 | The Selangor Task Force for Covid-19 (STFC) had proposed an enhanced movement control order (MCO) on Petaling Jaya Utara, instead of a state-wide conditional MCO, sources said.

An enhanced MCO is a strict lockdown where households must stay in their homes, all businesses closed and rations provided to households, within a stipulated period for the purpose of contact tracing. The enhanced MCO is conventionally lifted once all residents have been tested.

Sources said the STFC proposed an enhanced MCO on the area following a rise in cases in the Tropicana and Bandar Utama areas, both of which are in Petaling Jaya Utara.

The Bah Tropicana and Utama clusters have recorded 42 and 183 Covid-19 cases respectively, as of yesterday.

The STFC had proposed the enhanced MCO to contain the outbreak within that area, and to test as many residents as possible who live in the area, sources said.

Instead, the federal National Security Council (NSC) imposed a more relaxed conditional MCO on the entire state from Oct 14 to 27, where workers could still move between districts.

The NSC also imposed an enhanced MCO on the Tropicana Golf and Country Resort workers' dormitory but allowed residents in the high-end neighbourhood to move freely within the district.

'Share our environment with this invisible enemy'

When contacted, STFC chairperson Dzulkefly Ahmad confirmed the Petaling Jaya Utara enhanced MCO recommendation and expressed frustration over the blanket conditional MCO.

Dzulkefly Ahmad

He said that the clampdown should be done by district, instead of a blanket order being issued on the whole state.

"Japan right now decided to co-exist with the virus. Because, as long as there is no vaccination available, as long as there is yet to be an antiviral drug (for Covid-19), the virus is going to be around us.

"So what do you want to do? This virus mutates… The only reasonable scientific method is to observe our SOPs, including social distancing, wear face masks wherever you go and wash your hands regularly.

"We have to share our environment with this invisible enemy," Dzulkefly said.

Earlier, Selangor Menteri Besar Amiruddin Shaari also expressed “surprise” over the NSC’s decision to impose a statewide conditional MCO on Selangor - including for the district of Sabak Bernam, which has had zero cases for months.

Since the Klang Valley conditional MCO announcement, the standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been relaxed several times.

For example, dine-in conditions are now relaxed from two to a table to five to a table, while public parks are now allowed to open.

Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya residents are also free to move throughout the respective territories, and need not be confined to one district only. - Mkini