MCO: Sabah mulls need to extend movement restrictions beyond 10km radius

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is considering a proposal to provide flexibility in the radius of more than 10 kilometres (km) during the Movement Control Order (MCO).

Its Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the state government was also studying the need to implement it as suggested by Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali.

He said currently the state government, as previously, handed over the implementation of roadblocks to the security forces to ensure the public complied with the rules and standard operating procedures (SOPs) set during the MCO.

"However, people who need to make important trips can get police permission to cross districts," he said in the daily Sabah COVID-19 press conference, here, yesterday.

Hazani had previously suggested to the Sabah state government to allow the public to be able to move beyond the 10 km radius after taking into account the vastness of the state, including the inlands which require residents to move beyond that distance to buy their necessities.

Elaborating further, Masidi said, the MCO in Kota Kinabalu covers three areas including Penampang and Putatan, as a result no roadblocks will be set up in the area because it is categorised as one district.

Regarding the latest developments of COVID-19 in Sabah, Masidi said, a total of 450 new cases were recorded yesterday, which is an increase of 41 cases compared to 409 cases on Tuesday, with three deaths recorded in Papar, Kudat and Tawau respectively.

“A total of 322 cases or 71.6 per cent of the total new cases stemmed from close contact screening; symptomatic screening (80 cases); existing cluster screening (14 cases); and other categories (34 cases)," he said.

Meanwhile, Masidi said, the cumulative number of COVID-19 positive cases in Sabah increased to 41,899, while the cumulative number of patients who recovered was 37,964 people.

"A total of 306 COVID-19 patients recovered and were allowed to leave the hospital. A total of 2,833 patients are receiving treatment -- 753 in hospitals and 2,080 in COVID-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centres (PKRC),” he also said, adding that 41.47 per cent of the 6,829 beds provided in hospitals and PKRCs were occupied yesterday.

-- BERNAMA