KUALA LUMPUR:The Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) will be enforced at the Westlite workers’ dormitory in Taman Perindustrian Tampoi Jaya, Johor Bahru beginning tomorrow till Jan 8 next year.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the EMCO enforcement follows the sudden rise in positive COVID-19 cases detected by the Health Ministry (MOH) at the workers’ dormitory.    

“Based on the results of three days of screening from Dec 21 to Dec 23, the ministry found 115 out of 3,116 dormitory residents, all of whom are foreigners, were COVID-19 positive.

“Based on the advice and risk assessment done by the MOH, the government has decided to enforce the EMCO at the workers’ dormitory,” he said in a statement regarding the development of the Movement Control Order (MCO) today. 

The EMCO will involve 231 housing units with an estimated 3,116 residents, he added.

Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said police detained 246 individuals for various MCO-related violations yesterday, with 236 of them being issued compounds and 10 being remanded.

“The violations include entertainment outlet activities - 91 individuals, failing to provide equipment to record customer details (84), not wearing face masks (44), not practising physical distancing (23) and other offences (4),” he said.

Regarding Ops Benteng, he said that 76 illegal immigrants and two human traffickers were detained yesterday while eight land vehicles were seized.

In addition, between July 24 and Dec 24, 91,791 individuals returned through the country’s international border entry points with 7,023 of them undergoing mandatory quarantine, 535 sent to hospital for treatment while 84,233 people were allowed to go home.

-- BERNAMA