.jpg "A police personnel conducts checks on a vehicle during a roadblock in Kuala Lumpur March 31, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa")
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — The number of people arrested for defying the ongoing extended movement control order (MCO) against the Covid-19 pandemic has declined, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said this is a positive development as it indicates the public is taking the MCO with increasing seriousness.
“Yesterday, 742 individuals were arrested and detained at police roadblocks and patrols. The day before, 828 arrests were made,” Ismail Sabri said during his post-National Security Council press conference today.
The minister said Phase Two of the MCO commences tomorrow, with new standard operating procedures in place for the police and Armed Forces, which are stricter than Phase One.
“Thus far, the police and Armed Forces have held 1,547 roadblocks, and conducted examinations on a total of 383,488 vehicles. Up to 22,586 surprise spot checks have also been conducted.
“As of today, 165 people have been charged in court for violating the MCO, with six of them sentenced to varying fines or imprisonment. For example, the jail sentence in Sarawak is between one to four months,” he said.
Ismail Sabri added he is counting on the rakyat to continue obeying the MCO, and to not defy it to the extent that they could be facing a prison sentence.
As of noon today, approximately 2,626 Covid-19 positive cases in Malaysia have been recorded, with 479 recoveries and 37 deaths. Worldwide, approximately 786,876 cases have been recorded, with 165,892 recoveries and 37,839 deaths.
