PETALING JAYA: Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) at the Desa Bistari flats in Batu Uban, Penang, will be lifted today.
The EMCO was supposed to end on Dec 31.
“The health ministry has completed Covid-19 screening in the area and it said positive cases are on a downward trend there,” he said in a statement today.
“Considering the advice and risk assessment by the health ministry, the government has agreed to end the EMCO at the Desa Bistari flats in Batu Uban, Penang, today, which is earlier than scheduled.”
On Dec 18, Ismail had announced that the EMCO would be extended at the Desa Bistari flats in Batu Uban and Persiaran Paya Terubong flats in Relau until Dec 31.
The EMCO affected some 12,300 people — 10,000 from the flats in Persiaran Paya Terubong and the remaining 2,300 from the Desa Bistari flats.
The areas were placed under an EMCO on Dec 7 due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases there.
Today’s announcement did not make any mention of the flats in Persiaran Paya Terubong.
Meanwhile, Ismail said 1,002 people were arrested by the police yesterday over movement control order-related offences.
A total of 854 were issued compound fines while 148 were remanded.
Most of the offences, he said, were for participating in activities at nightclubs and pubs (687).
Among the other offences were participating in activities which made physical distancing difficult (125), not wearing face masks (69) and failing to provide materials for contact tracing or registration (63).
A total of 2,454 compliance task force teams were deployed to conduct checks on supermarkets, restaurants, hawker stalls, factories, banks, government offices, as well as land, water and air transport terminals.
The authorities also detained 35 undocumented migrants as part of the ongoing Ops Benteng.
They also confiscated three vehicles.
Regarding the mandatory home quarantine, Ismail said 92,607 people who arrived through KLIA were screened for Covid-19 from July 24 to Dec 25 and were placed under quarantine.
Some 536 tested positive and were sent to hospital for treatment, while 84,865 have been allowed to return home.
A total of 7,206 people are undergoing mandatory quarantine.