EMCO in Besut sub-district, two areas in Sarawak from May 20

KUALA LUMPUR: The Pelagat sub-district in Besut, Terengganu will be placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) from May 20 to June 2.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster), Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, said the EMCO would involve 13 villages in the sub-district.

He said that as of yesterday, a total of 199 positive COVID-19 cases have been recorded in all localities in the sub-district from 1,092 screenings conducted by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

"The MOH also reported a significant increase in cases with a high rate of infectivity in these localities.

"The implementation of EMCO is to control the movement of residents and break the chain of COVID-19 infection, as well as facilitate the MOH to conduct a large-scale COVID-19 screening exercise in the sub-district," he said in a statement today.

Ismail Sabri added that the EMCO would also be imposed in the Wun Ak Ering longhouse and Sekolah Kebangsaan Bakerkong in Tanjung Manis, Mukah, Sarawak from Thursday until June 2 due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the areas.

He said five positive cases were recorded within four days of symptomatic screenings and close contact tracing exercise coducted.

Meanwhile, he said a total of 514 individuals were arrested for violating the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the Movement Control Order (MCO) yesterday.

Ismail Sabri said of that total, 503 were issued with compound notices while 11 were remanded.

He said among the offences recorded were not wearing face masks involving 147 individuals, failing to record personal details or registration at premises (127), failing to observe physical distancing (62), ferrying more than the permitted number of passengers in a car (13) and 165 committed other offences.

-- BERNAMA