Last minute change: All MCO exemptions must now come from Miti

 

Putrajaya has decided at the eleventh hour that any business which wanted to operate during the 14-day "total lockdown" period beginning tomorrow must obtain permission from the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti).

In a statement, the National Security Council (NSC) said this decision was made during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today.

Yesterday, Putrajaya had mandated that businesses had to seek permission from the respective ministries who acted as regulators. 

For instance, the Communications and Multimedia Ministry issued a statement earlier today mandating that all communications, postal services, courier services and broadcasters (including online media firms) had to apply for permission through email.

This was necessary in order to obtain a letter from respective ministries that would prove that a worker was in an industry considered to be an essential service and thus allowed to cross district borders for work.

According to the NSC, Miti will serve as the one-stop centre to issue letters that would allow businesses to operate during the "total lockdown" period.

However, according to the NSC, Miti will still have to verify information regarding the applicant from other ministries.

There are 17 sectors which are allowed to continue operating tomorrow, barring any other last-minute changes. These sectors are as follows:

1. Food and beverage (F&B)
2. Health services
3. Animal clinics and veterinary
4. Water
5. Energy
6. Security and defence
7. Waste management and public cleaning
8. Land, air and water transport
9. Docks, airports and transport related to cargo and commodities
10. Communications, including media, telecommunications and internet services
11. Banks, insurance, takaful and capital markets
12. Community credit, pawnshops
13. E-commerce
14. Fuel and lubricants
15. Hotels for quarantine purposes only
16. Construction and critical infrastructure works
17. Forestry

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There are 13 types of factories that are allowed to operate during the "total lockdown" period with a 60 percent workforce:

1. Aerospace including maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)
2. Food and beverage
3. Packaging and printing materials
4. Personal care products and cleaning supplies
5. Healthcare and medical care, including dietary supplement
6. Personal protective equipment (PPE), including rubber gloves and fire safety equipment
7. Medical equipment components
8. Electrical and electronics
9. Oil and gas, including petrochemical and petrochemical products
10. Chemical products
11. Machinery and equipment
12. Textiles for manufacturing of PPE only
13. Production, distillation, storage, supply and distribution of fuels and lubricants.

Another five types are allowed to operate with a 10 percent workforce: vehicles and components; iron and steel; cement; glass; and ceramics.- Mkini