PETALING JAYA: Residents and business operators in areas placed under conditional movement control order (CMCO) are baffled over what activities are permissible during this period.
Although the National Security Council (NSC) has released a list of directives for these areas, many are still in the dark as the detailed standard operating procedures (SOP) have not been issued yet.
CMCO will be enforced in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya from 12.01am on Oct 14 to Oct 27, Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday.
Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran said NSC needs to clarify whether those who are currently outstation can return to their homes after Wednesday when the CMCO takes effect.
“Can families living in different homes in the same district visit each other too? These are some questions that have been posed by Petaling Jaya residents,” he said yesterday.
Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Mahadi Che Ngah said he is waiting for further instructions from NSC. “We should get more information tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said.
All economic activities in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are still allowed to operate as usual but under stringent SOP to be announced soon by the NSC.
Under the CMCO, movement in and out of a district is not allowed, Ismail Sabri said.
Workers who need to cross districts would need to present a work pass or a letter of permission from their employer.
A maximum of two people from the same household are allowed to go out for necessities and all schools, institutions of higher learning, training institutes, kindergartens, nurseries, tahfiz centres, public parks and leisure centres will be closed.
All places of worship are to be closed and all sports, recreational, social, cultural activities including weddings will be banned during the CMCO.
Entertainment centres and nightclubs are also not allowed to operate.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Federation of Hawkers and Petty Traders Association, which represents more than 70,000 small businesses in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, said the CMCO will impact their revenue by 60%.
“Only for the past two months, we had been getting our customers back,” federation president Datuk Seri Rosli Sulaiman told theSun yesterday.
Previously, a trader could make RM100 to RM150 a day, giving him a monthly income of RM3,000 to RM4,000, Rosli said.
But now, some traders, such as fruit sellers and hawkers, may decide to not open for business because they do not expect to make any profit.
“If the CMCO goes beyond Oct 27, we will have to appeal for a one-off fund to sustain ourselves,” he added.
All government services will remain operational during CMCO. Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali said civil servants would adapt to a rotation system and work from home, based on the requirement.
He added that NSC will issue a more detailed SOP in the near future.
