KUANTAN: Residents here are reminded not to take advantage of the long weekend to plan outings to tourist destinations including the nearby beaches and waterfalls.
District police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Noor Yusof Ali said policemen will conduct regular checks at tourist spots especially beach areas and waterfalls which often draw a huge crowd during the weekends.
"Some might be planning to travel to nearby places during the Chinese New Year public holiday and long weekend. Please adhere to the standard operating procedures(SOP) and remain at home.
"Police will patrol popular tourist spots here and those caught for flouting the SOPs must be prepared to face the consequences," he told reporters after 'Ops Bersepadu Perdana" to check on Covid-19 SOP compliance at business premises here today.
On Jan 23, the Pahang government, in a statement, said picnics or group activities are not allowed during the Movement Control Order.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Noor said police will not hesitate to take action against those who fail to comply with the Chinese New Year SOPs including the ruling that only up to 15 people are allowed to attend reunion dinners.
"Policemen will conduct patrols at housing areas and random checks so do not take any chances and defy the SOPs. Even on Chinese New Year day, police will take the necessary action(for those flouting the SOP).
"The government has been quite lenient with the SOPs during the festive season so the people here should not take the opportunity to go overboard," he said.
He said since dine-ins have been allowed but limited to only two people per table, customers should not take advantage of the freedom by sitting three in a table or joining tables at eatery outlets.
Meanwhile, he said 15 police mobile patrol vehicles (MPV) along with motorcycle patrol units (URB) will conduct checks at 75 locations which includes housing areas and public places for crime prevention.
"Each MPV will have one senior officer along with two personnel. They will be spreading information to the public about the pandemic and remind them about the Chinese New Year SOPs," he said.
On a separate matter, Mohamad Noor said so far some 42,600 applications for interstate travel were received and out of that, 2,600 applications were rejected for various reasons during the second phase of the Movement Control Order here.