Gerak Malaysia app downloaded 1.4 million times - Bukit Aman

The Gerak Malaysia app has been downloaded 1.4 million times and 503,276 applications for interstate travel have been made through it, said federal CID director, Datuk Huzir Mohamed.

He said 143,516 of these applications have been approved while police stations throughout the country have received 13,069 manual application forms for interstate travel as of yesterday.

“The public have been advised to update the details on their originating and destination addresses in the app on May 4, 5 and 6.

“This is the final step before the implementation of the interstate travel from tomorrow (May 7) until May 10,” he told a press conference at Bukti Aman here today.

Huzir said users of Android smartphones should update the Gerak Malaysia app to version 2.5 through Play Store.

Huzir said once the app was updated, a QR code would be generated and displayed on the handphone screen.

“This generated QR code is proof that the application for interstate travel has been approved.

“Before this, I had said that those wishing to make interstate travel only needed to apply and update their information and no approval would be required,” he said.

However, approval in the form of QR code had to be implemented now because early statistics showed that 503,276 people had submitted applications for interstate travel, he said.

“However, only 29.5 per cent or 148,576 of the applicants have updated their information for interstate travel,” he said.

He said the remaining 70.5 per cent or 354,700 of the applicants did not update their travel information.

“This may have happened because of two factors -- the public felt that they only needed to apply and no approval was necessary.

“Therefore, (they thought) they could embark on their interstate journey without updating the information, or second, these people might be waiting until the last minute to update their interstate travel particulars,” he said.

Huzir said the generation of a QR code was important to ensure that this special arrangement for interstate travel was not abused to make unauthorised visits during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) period.

This travel facility is only meant for those who have been stranded in their hometowns to return to their places of residence between May 7 and 10, he said.

Huzir said police were using the QR code for several reasons, including to facilitate planning for deployment of personnel to ensure smooth traffic flow in the interstate journeys.

“Apart from this, it will also cut down on inspection time when (a motorist is) stopped at roadblocks. Therefore, the public should show their QR code to the policemen on duty.

“The policemen will scan the QR code to confirm whether the travel is genuine or not,” he added.

He said the QR code could also be used to help the Health Ministry and the police in conducting contact tracing should any of the interstate travellers be subsequently identified as COVID-19 positive.

He advised all who would be embarking on their interstate travel, including those whose manual applications have been approved, to stick to the travel dates set for them.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Al-Ishsal Ishak said the Gerak Malaysia version 2.5 would enable the public to fill in particulars on the places they would be travelling from and their destinations. - BERNAMA