KL and districts in Johor, Perak and more to undergo MCO 3.0 from 7-20 May 2021

MITI has said companies must comply with the SOPs for MCO 3.0, subject to the existing WFH requirements that only 30% of management staff can be in office, without restrictions on working hours.

Effective tomorrow (Friday, 7 May 2021), Kuala Lumpur will be placed under the stricter Movement Control Order (MCO 3.0), up till 20 May 2021 (Thursday).

The same will apply to Johor Bahru, Kulai, and Kota Tinggi in Johor; Mukim Taiping and Larut Matang and Selama district in Perak; and 14 mukims and districts in Terengganu, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced on Thursday (5 May 2021).

In a statement cited by Bernama, Senior Minister Ismail Sabri said the decision to place Kuala Lumpur under the MCO 3.0 came following a rise in the number of daily COVID-19 cases and clusters in recent weeks.

On the overall MCO enforcement, he noted that this was to ensure controlled movement of the people, as well as to "facilitate mass screenings to prevent further infection," Bernama added.

Meanwhile, six districts in Selangor - Hulu Langat, Petaling, Gombak, Klang, Kuala Langat, and Sepang will begin the MCO today (Thursday, 6 May 2021), up till 17 May 2021 (Monday).

In a separate statement, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) announced that companies must comply with SOPs for MCO 3.0, and subject to the existing work-from-home requirements that only 30% of management staff can be in office, without restrictions on working hours, while the presence of operations / support employees is determined by the employer at discretion.

Additionally, all economic sectors, including the manufacturing sector, are allowed to continue operating in the six affected districts in Selangor, except for certain activities listed in the 'negative list'.

The statement added: "MITI calls on the industry to continue to work with the Government to ensure the success of controlling the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. Enforcement activities will be enhanced by enforcement agencies based on the evaluation of the Hotspot Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) Early Warning System which is capable of detecting high-risk locations that are the cause of COVID-19 transmission.

"This measure is more targeted and effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19 outbreaks in the community, than the overall closure measure. Any company found not to be in compliance with the SOP will be subject to legal action including closure of the company’s operations for a certain period."

All State Government Agencies including Local Authorities are also urged to take proactive measures and jointly work hand-in-hand with the Federal Government to increase enforcement activities for mutual security, it concluded.

Lastly, in relation to the ongoing Conditional MCO in other areas, Senior Minister Ismail Sabri has announced that effective immediately, the Government has suspended cross-state permits under the Targeted Tourism Bubble for tourism purposes using travel agencies.

Photo / 123RF