PUTRAJAYA, Aug 9 ― Putrajaya will not ban civil servants from playing Pokemon Go for the time being, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa said today.

Instead, he explained that the government will keep watch and assess the productivity levels of its workers to see if there is a reduction.

"I feel it’s ok, let us hold on. Let us see what is its impact first,” Ali replied when asked if the government would issue a ban on government servants from playing Pokemon Go during work hours.

Ali had earlier launched a two-day international conference on public sector productivity.

The massive popularity of the game among smartphone users has prompted numerous concerns about its socio-economic as well as spiritual impact on Malaysians, even before the game application was officially available for downloads last Saturday.

Islamic authorities, in particular, have expressed views critical of the game.

Pokemon Go has been an instant sensation in Malaysia, in the same way other markets have received the game.

The sight of Malaysians peering into their smartphones while hunting the virtual monsters in real life locations is becoming commonplace.

The game has been downloaded an estimated 75 million times globally on both iOS and Android at the end of July.

Several accidents and even a death have been attributed to the people playing game in various parts of the world.