JUNE 8 ― Pak Salleh and Mak Kiah are husband and wife. They usually go out together in their car to a nearby supermarket to obtain food, necessary supplies and medicines.

On June 6, they did just that. At the supermarket they met Mr and Mrs Ong, friends from a neighbouring taman (housing estate).

While Mak Kiah and Mrs Ong set out to get their weekly supplies, Pak Salleh and Mr Ong cooked up a chat. Mr Ong told Pak Salleh that he was driving his son’s new Ford Ranger.

Pak Salleh was excited to hear of the new Ranger and wished that he could “test-drive” the vehicle. Mr Ong was as friendly as ever and offered his old friend a drive in the Ford Ranger.

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So, with Mr Ong in the driver’s seat and Pak Salleh next to Mr Ong, they set off on a drive, leaving their spouses to complete their “shopping.”

Little did both friends realise that they had violated the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the National Security Council (NSC) which came into force from June 1 till June 14.

Police and Armed Forces personnel conduct checks on vehicles at a roadblock at Bandar Sri Menjalara June 1, 2021. — Picture by Hari Anggara
Police and Armed Forces personnel conduct checks on vehicles at a roadblock at Bandar Sri Menjalara June 1, 2021. — Picture by Hari Anggara

The SOP states that only two people from the same household are allowed out to obtain food, necessary supplies and medicine in areas within 10 kilometres of their residence.

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The SOP also states that only two people ― including the driver ― are allowed to travel in private vehicles, i.e. taxis and e-hailing rides. The passenger must be seated in the back seat. So, if there are two people from different households, one must be seated in the back seat.

The purpose of the SOP is obvious. It is to restrict the inter-mingling of people from different households to reduce the rate of transmission of the disease (Covid-19).

Since the emergence of the disease and the eventual declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the primary measure used almost universally by countries worldwide to control transmission of the disease has been to limit human to human contact through restrictions on movement and social distancing. This explains why the passenger in a taxi or e-hailing vehicle must be seated in the back seat.

Pak Salleh may not have test-driven the new Ford Ranger because it was Mr Ong who took him for a drive. In any case, test-driving a vehicle may not offend the SOP. The SOP lacks clarity here.

But, two people from different households and seated next to each other in a private vehicle arguably violates the SOP.

The word is “arguably” because the authorities may find that no violation has occurred.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.