No movement within states except for food, healthcare, essentials, interstate travel requires police permission: Malaysia’s lockdown regulations published

KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 18, 2020, Malay Mail. Malaysians should not move about within their vicinity except for special purposes or essential activities such as buying food or seeking healthcare, and will need police permission when they travel from one state to another during these two weeks, the government said in a set of new regulations gazetted today, Malay Mail reported.

These new regulations, known as the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures Within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020, are applicable from March 18 (today) until March 31.

In the March 18 regulations made by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, the government ordered that no persons are to “make any journey from one place to another” place within a state or federal territories except for the following reasons:

– to perform any official duty

– to buy, supply or deliver food or daily necessities

– to seek healthcare or medical services

– to make a journey to and from a limited categories of premises, including any premises which provides essential services, premises involved in the food supply chain, premises selling food and beverages through drive-through, takeaway and delivery

– or any other special purposes that may be permitted by the director-general

No gatherings at all for anything, except for small-size funerals

Beyond this strict list of when Malaysians can move about within the respective state or federal territories they are in, the new regulations also said no one is allowed to gather or be involved in any gathering, regardless of whether it is for religious, sports, recreational, social or cultural purposes.

But the regulations also said funeral ceremonies can be held if the number of those attending is kept to a minimum.

Police permission if crossing state borders

The new regulations said no one shall travel from one infected local area to another infected local area — or in other words, from one state to another state — without the “prior written permission of a police officer in charge of a police station”.

Malaysians will have to find other means of doing their laundry if they have been going to self-service laundry shops as these outlets will have to close during the two-week restriction of movement order starting today, Malay Mail reported.

In a list of 20 frequently-asked questions for the retail sector that was released today, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) said such laundry services have to be temporarily suspended during this two-week period lasting from March 18 to March 31 to avoid crowds.

“Self-service laundry shops cannot operate throughout the period of the restriction of movement order to avoid the public from gathering,” it said in a brief reply in the FAQ list.

As for customer service call centres, the ministry said these services will be allowed to continue operating during this two-week period.

In an effort to limit crowds where the Covid-19 can spread easier and faster, the government had on Monday said the order to restrict the public’s movement would ban public gatherings and require non-essential businesses to stop.

Under the two-week order, only essential services such as those in this list can continue to operate: water, electricity, telecommunications, postal, transportation, irrigation, oil and gas, fuel, lubricants, broadcast, financial, banking, health, pharmacies, fire and rescue services, prison services, ports, airports, security, defence, cleaning, sundry goods and food supply.

Today, the KPDNHEP in its FAQ list responded to the question of whether security guards at supermarkets can continue on, replying that security-related services are allowed to continue operating.

The ministry also said rubbish collection companies can continue to operate at outlets such as supermarkets and convenience stores.

In the same FAQ list, the ministry, however, said that any ongoing renovation works at business premises have to be “postponed”.

“If there are security issues, the company has to obtain permission from the Works Ministry and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) for renovation works to go on,” it added.

The KPDNHEP’s list of FAQ today is on top of the National Security Council’s separate list of FAQ yesterday addressing the do’s and don’ts during this two-week period.