MCO until June is IGP's personal opinion: Ismail Sabri

CORONAVIRUS | It is only the personal opinion of Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador that the movement control order (MCO) may be extended to June, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The defence minister said today that this is because any decision on such an extension will be made by the cabinet based on the advice of the Health Ministry.

“In regards to the statement by the IGP, that may be his personal opinion. Any decision on whether to extend the MCO or not will be based on the advice of the Health Ministry,” Ismail Sabri said during a press conference at Putrajaya today. 

Yesterday while speaking to Harian Metro, Hamid said that the MCO has a high likelihood of being extended to June if there are still obstinate people who will cause the further spread of the coronavirus. 

Meanwhile, during the press conference, Ismail Sabri said as of yesterday, the police and the armed forces have conducted 799 roadblocks nationwide and inspected 545,182 vehicles.

He said the authorities had conducted 59,690 spot checks nationwide, with 6,907 premises checked.

Ismail Sabri said that yesterday, the police arrested 612 individuals for violating the MCO, whereby 590 were remanded and 15 released on bail.

He noted that 337 individuals have been charged with MCO violations, and that the cumulative arrest for such offences stands at 9,702 as of April 14.

As of yesterday, there are 177 quarantine centres operating compared to 176 the day before, he said. 

Ismail Sabri said 14,536 individuals are undergoing mandatory quarantine, including 157 Malaysians who returned to Malaysia.

Meanwhile, he said in regards to the Sabahans and Sarawakians recently released from quarantine in the Peninsula, they would be provided with temporary accommodation at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) a day or two before their flights back to Sabah or Sarawak.

Recently, Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong requested Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia to resume flights between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak during the MCO period.

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