Multiple states have opted not to go ahead with the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) issued by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on 1 May 2020. The decision of these states come less than 24 hours after the state of Sarawak made a similar decision.
In the case of Sabah, the state released an official announcement via Twitter, but it should be noted that it did not provide further details or an explanation behind its reluctance to put the CMCO into effect.
KENYATAAN MEDIA
Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan Bersyarat (PKPB) COVID19.
Kerajaan Negeri pada hari ini memutuskan untuk tidak melaksanakan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan Bersyarat (PKPB) yang diumumkan pada 1 Mei 2020.
Sumber : Pejabat Ketua Menteri#JapenSabah#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/a6dB0eaUlO
— Jabatan Penerangan Sabah 🇲🇾 (@JapenSabah) May 3, 2020
In an official letter from the Menteri Besar of Kelantan, Ahmad Yakob, he basically says that the state feels that the government’s CMCO still needs a some “fine-tuning” and therefore cannot be put into practice for the people in the state.
To that end, Minister Ahmad says that it will hold a special meeting on 7 May, where an in-depth discussion will be held among state official to discuss how best to apply the CMCO. Until then, the state will continue to uphold the current MCO measures and restrictions from now until the order is officially lifted and barring any extension on the Federal Government’s part.
https://twitter.com/datoahmadyakob/status/1256837100881633290
Minister Ahmad’s reluctance to put the CMCO into effect isn’t unfounded. While we are beginning to see a downward trend in COVID-19 infections, we still aren’t out of the woods yet. Lifting restrictions too early or prematurely could result in a new wave of infections, something that neither of us wants.
In Kedah’s case, the state government announced that it will refrain from opening its economic sectors on 4 May in order to ensure that Kedah is able to withhold its status as green zone. According to a short statement from the Menteri Besar of Kedah, Mukhriz Mahathir insists that the safety and welfare of the people will not be compromised:
As for Pahang, even though the state government supports the implementation of CMCO by the Federal Government, it will not implement it for the time being. Instead, further announcement will only be made after the matter has been discussed by the state government on 8 May.
This decision was announced through a media statement by the Menteri Besar of Pahang, Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail:
Amirudin Shari, Menteri Besar of Selangor, echoed similar sentiments, stating that the state’s reluctance to loosen the ongoing MCO was to prevent a “crash landing” and cause a spike in COVID-19 infections.
Nevertheless, Selangor will still adopt a modified version of CMCO:
Kerajaan Negeri Selangor melaksanakan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan Bersyarat Diubahsuai (PKPBD) bagi memastikan pengimbangan antara keperluan ekonomi dan keselamatan rakyat. Berikut adalah senarai perintah yang diubahsuai. Kerajaan Negeri turut mewajibkan penggunaan topeng muka. pic.twitter.com/f7ut6OhpPo
— Amirudin Shari (@AmirudinShari) May 3, 2020
Aside from Selangor, the state government of Negeri Sembilan and Perak have also decided to modify the CMCO implementation in order to adopt to their respective needs.
In general, both states allowed certain businesses to operate starting tomorrow but members of the publics are still not allowed to dine-in at restaurants. Recreational activities are still being restricted as well:
On another hand, the Penang state government will be easing up MCO in stages, which is very different from the approach taken by the Federal Government. In his speech earlier today, the Chief Minister of Penang, Chow Kon Yeow announced that the existing MCO restrictions will remain until 7 April.
After that, selected sectors will be allowed to operate from 8 May onwards as long as they adhere to the strict SOP provided by the authorities. The rest of sectors excluding education and social care will then be allowed to open on 13 May although the strict SOP requirement will still be uphold:
All in all, it is quite obvious that not everyone is in line with Federal Government’s decision to implement CMCO. So, in the end, it really depends on your respective locations as well as your work place whether it will be operational again on 4 May.
Regardless of whether you are heading to office tomorrow or otherwise, please adopt good hygiene and practice social distancing as well as wear face mask outside of your home. Just remember: the war against COVID-19 is still far from over.
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