Get police approval before performing loading, unloading activities - Wee

He said the list of workers involved in performing the activities must also be attached as the number of workers allowed was limited and should be under the relevant standard operating procedures (SOP).

"This police permission can be used as travel permission for workers at roadblocks and to be shown to enforcement personnel while performing the activities at the company's premises," he said in a statement today.

This follows the National Security Council's (MKN) decision to allow exporters and importers to perform loading and unloading of non-essential goods from 8 am to 8 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays starting tomorrow (June 18), to alleviate the situation for logistics players and to clear capacity at the ports and airports.

The activities are limited to loading and unloading cargo to and from factories, ports, and airports intended for exports and imports. They include clearance, planning, movement of goods, forklift operations, loading and unloading.

Wee said the operations would also allow the movement of non-essential goods, which was limited to stock in hand only, for importing and exporting to neighbouring countries.

However, he said the operations for essential goods that had been granted with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) letter were not subject to this arrangement.

Wee said the decision to allow the activity was reached after considering the balance between addressing the alarming numbers of COVID-19 cases and the need to ensure adequate and uninterrupted movement of goods for conventional marketplaces and e-commerce activities.

Saying that a similar port clearing exercise was implemented during the Movement Control Order 1.0 last year, Wee ensured that his ministry would continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that the movement of goods and cargo was not hindered and to reduce shocks to the market in general.