Now, FT minister says DBKL parks are open

 

Jogging and walking in pairs is allowed in parks but hawkers are banned.

PETALING JAYA: Public parks managed by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will be allowed to open, said Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa – just two days after DBKL ordered their closure.

However, he said there would be strict supervision at the parks throughout the movement control order (MCO) period.

The directive follows feedback from the public who said the closure of DBKL-run parks was not in line with the National Security Council’s guidelines.

“Jogging and cycling individually is allowed. But where will they go if these parks are closed?

“That said, the standard operating procedures must be adhered to,” Annuar said, referring to temperature checks and registering using the MySejahtera app.

“So, we have agreed to keep these parks open as long as it does not breach any rules, and this includes group activities,” he said in a Facebook post.

On Wednesday, DBKL said all public parks and playgrounds under its jurisdiction will be closed until further notice.

This led to a group of Pakatan Harapan MPs from Kuala Lumpur urging DBKL to reconsider its decision, saying it was not in line with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s speech on Monday in which he noted that long periods of isolation can take a toll on mental health.

During his speech to announce the 14-day MCO in five states and the three federal territories on Monday, Muhyiddin also said people were allowed to engage in recreational activities, such as jogging and cycling, as long as they maintained a two-metre distance from others at all times.

Meanwhile, senior minister for security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said jogging can be done in pairs while cycling has to be done individually.

However, Annuar said hawkers were not allowed to operate at DBKL parks. - FMT