KUALA LUMPUR: The government, through the Health Ministry is determining whether there is a need to implement stricter movement control order such as an Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Selangor.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government would also consult the respective ministries on the impact of such a move on the economic sector as well as on the wellbeing of the people if an EMCO is implemented in Selangor and the two federal territories, which currently are under the Conditional MCO (CMCO) until October 27.
The Senior Defence Minister said he had received views from several quarters who were concerned with the surge in Covid-19 cases following a lax in the standard operation procedures (SOP) enforced during the CMCO, which among others still allowed people to visit gymnasiums and recreational parks under strict compliance of the guidelines by the authorities.
"Yes, it is easier for us to implement the EMCO that will result in the restriction of movements and subsequently mitigate the risk of Covid-19 transmission within the community.
"Implementing the EMCO will also force several business activities to temporarily cease its operations, which would be detrimental towards the economy of the country and the livelihoods of our people.
"Hence, there are several matters that we need to look into to create a balance between ensuring our economy can move forward and protecting the people from being exposed to the virus," he said in his daily press conference here today.
Ismail Sabri also hit out at detractors who accused the government of only wanting to protect groups deemed as "tauke besar" (big business tycoons).
"It is not true that the government is only concerned about the fate of 'tauke besar' when we want to protect the wellbeing of the business community, as a whole.
"There are also traders in our country who live on a 'kais pagi makan pagi' (live from hand to mouth) basis. There are also those who eke out a living from an income on a daily basis.
"These groups of people would be severely impacted if the government pushed ahead with closing all economic sectors," he said.
Asked on when the assessment would be completed, Ismail Sabri replied that it would be completed by the relevant ministries soon.
"We have received many views and complaints. There are quarters who called for stricter control (movement control order) but there are also those who think otherwise.
"Nevertheless, we must create a balance between reviving the economy and protecting the people from the virus," he said.
Ismail Sabri added the Health Ministry is also carrying out assessment for Sabah, which over the past weeks, contributed to the bulk of the daily new Covid-19 cases detected nationwide.
"At the moment, there is no need to impose EMCO statewide since the state has been placed under the CMCO. EMCO would only be implemented at localities in Sabah which record high number of cases from time to time.
"We must understand that the demographic in Sabah is very different from states in the Peninsular. For example, the Kinabatangan district in Sabah is as big as Pahang.
"Having said that, the Health Ministry is closely monitoring the situation on the ground and in the process of conducting assessment," he said.