KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — A self-employed man who took to social media to boast he had bypassed the movement control order (MCO) roadblocks and travelled from Kelantan to Kuala Lumpur with his wife and children, was today fined RM1,000, in default a month’s jail, by the Magistrates’ Court here.

Magistrate S. Mageswary meted out the sentence on Muhammad Hafiz Bashah, 37, after he pleaded guilty to the charge.

In giving advice to Muhammad Hafiz to comply with the government’s directives to contain Covid-19, Mageswary told him that his actions could have endangered the lives of his wife their children.

“Why did you post the photograph? You are teaching others to do bad, and violating the MCO restrictions is a serious offence,” she said.

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Muhammad Hafiz was charged with travelling from Kemensah Heights in Ampang, here, to Wakaf Bharu, Kelantan, which was an infected area, at 10.30am on April 15.

The offence committed under Rule 3(1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures Within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020, provides for a maximum fine of RM1,000 or imprisonment of up to six months or both.

When asked by Mageswary why he violated the rules, the man said he did so because he missed his wife and children.

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“My wife was back in her hometown to deliver our child on January 2. At that time the MCO was not enforced yet. I missed them terribly and went to Kelantan to bring them back here with me.

“The photograph was uploaded to a private chat group, but somehow someone took a screenshot and shared it on social media,” he said. — Bernama