568 detained, including 131 in entertainment outlets - Ismail Sabri

KUALA LUMPUR:Although the country is going through the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic, there are those who still feel the need to frequent entertainment outlets, as evidenced by the 131 individuals detained for the offence yesterday.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said they were among the 568 individuals detained for flouting the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) rules yesterday, and out of that total, 516 were issued compounds, 49 remanded and three were on bail.

Other RMCO-related offences include not complying with social distancing (160), not wearing face masks (116), failing to prepare equipment for recording customers’ details (56), crossing states or districts under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) without authorisation (43) and other offences (62).

Regarding Ops Benteng, he said 42 foreign immigrants were detained as a result of the integrated border control efforts by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Malaysian Border Security Agency (AKSEM).

"The government will take stern action against any party that tries to enter our country’s borders illegally and enforcement agencies will continue to tighten our borders, especially smuggling trails,” he said in a statement today.

Ismail Sabri said enforcers from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) conducted 981 RMCO standard operating procedures (SOPs) compliance checks yesterday and found that all premises were following the SOP.

He said KPDNHEP also made 687 daily checks on 12 types of necessities involving traders (493), wholesalers (162) and manufacturers (32).

"In general the supply of necessities is adequate, able to accommodate the continuing domestic needs and are easily available,” he said.

Meanwhile, from July 24 till yesterday, 67,555 individuals returned to the country through international entry points and all of them were housed in 67 hotels as well as 20 public and private training institutes.

“From that total, 9,488 individual are undergoing mandatory quarantine while 388 individuals were sent to hospital for treatment, with the remaining 52,679 individual having been discharged and allowed to return home,” he said, adding that the returnees were from 36 different countries.

-- BERNAMA