KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri today issued a reminder that wearing a face mask is a fundamental rule when going out in public in the Covid-19 pandemic era.
He said everyone in Malaysia should realise by now they must wear one when they go out, sounding exasperated when reporting 156 ignored this rule, resulting in their arrests by police yesterday.
“I keep saying this is a basic SOP that everyone should be aware of by now.
“Not only that it should be part of your daily routine and when you go out you need to wear a mask as it is also for your own safety,” he said during his press briefing here.
A total of 612 people were arrested for breaking various Covid-19 regulations, and not wearing face masks remains the top offence eight months after it was imposed.
Ismail said security personnel conducted 297 roadblocks nationwide and found many Malaysians trying to sneak in and out of areas that are under the conditional movement control order (CMCO).
He said the biggest offenders were from Sabah (201), Johor (64) and Kuala Lumpur (45).
“During these roadblocks, 310 vehicles were told to return to where they came from as they did not have proper authorisation to travel.
“Some of the excuses we’re hearing are things like individuals trying to leave areas under the CMCO, while others were trying to get across state lines where CMCOs are in effect, for example, some were caught wanting to enter Pahang and vice-versa.
“I’d like to remind everyone that if you need to travel you may do so once the police have given you permission. If not you cannot do so and will be told to turn back,” he added.
From the 612 arrests today, 604 were compounded while the rest were under remand.
The other offenses were for no social distancing (145), failure to provide utensils to take down personal details (134), entertainment centre activities (96) and others (81).
Ismail also reminded the public not to disseminate information that is false or fake. He said those who share the fake news can also be prosecuted by the authorities.
“It’s not only the one who made or produced the fake news who will be charged by the authorities, we will also take action against those whom we find are sharing these type of news,” said Ismail.
“We urge all to check and verify the contents of what you are reading on www.sebenarnya.my or call 03-89115103 to check its authenticity.”
