KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Malaysians driving to their hometowns using the country’s highways should take note that children’s play areas at the Rest and Relax (R&R) stops along the highways will remain closed, while Muslim travellers are urged to bring their own prayer mats instead of sharing them with others.
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was outlining the guidelines and standard operating procedures that Malaysians should comply with when travelling home via the highways, following the government’s lifting of restrictions on interstate trips in line with the more relaxed conditions under the recovery movement control order (RMCO).
Ismail Sabri noted that many are expected to return to their hometowns with the full lifting of the restrictions on crossing state borders, predicting that the roads are expected to be filled with such vehicles from today until Sunday.
While many R&R facilities such as restaurants, stores, toilets, surau or prayer rooms would be opened for use by road users, Ismail Sabri stressed the need for standard operating procedures (SOP) to be complied with.
“For R&R areas, cleaning and sanitisation of premises must be done frequently, as well as recording of body temperatures of drivers and passengers, and R&Rs must prepare facilities to wash hand with soap or hand sanitisers. The names and phone numbers of visitors will be recorded,” he said in a press conference today.
He encouraged those travelling on highways to download the MySejahtera app into their smartphones for registration of their details when visiting R&Rs, saying they would otherwise have to manually fill in their names and phone numbers in a log book.
“For Muslims who wish to pray at R&Rs, the number of users is also limited to ensure social distancing of one metre in suraus can be fulfilled. And we also ask that visitors bring their own praying equipment such as prayer mats. We don’t want the taking of turns to use prayer mats. And also when performing ablution, ensure distancing when performing wuduk,” he said.
“Children’s play spaces at R&Rs are closed for now. We don’t allow children to play in crowds at R&Rs yet,” he added.
As for food stores at highway R&Rs, the allowed operating hours are from 6am to midnight daily, he said.
Urging Malaysians to comply with SOPs and practise self-discipline at highway R&Rs, Ismail Sabri also urged them to continue practising the required Covid-19 precautions and SOPs at their hometowns such as social distancing and proper hygiene.
He said that the traffic flow at the highways and main roads throughout the country was still reported to be smooth, although increase in movement on the PLUS highway and the Kuala Lumpur-Karak highway have been detected.
“Therefore I advise the public to be careful on the road and comply with traffic rules to avoid accidents and loss of lives,” he said, later urging those returning to their hometowns to remember their loved ones and to drive safely to avoid unwanted incidents on the road.
On June 10, the Health Ministry had also urged Malaysians to be careful when driving their cars or when riding their motorcycles, expressing concern over the average daily number of road accidents in Malaysia almost doubling as more Malaysians take to the roads after the movement control order (MCO) restrictions were relaxed.
“The increase of this rate is very worrying since it is expected to continue to increase following the increase of the total number of vehicles on the road,” Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had said, before urging Malaysians to avoid driving if they were tired or did not have sufficient rest.
