KOTA BHARU:Those who are self-employed in Kelantan and need to go out to look for daily jobs can now apply for a one-time travel permit at the nearest police station, Kelantan police chief Datuk Shafien Mamat.

He said the one-time permit would be issued for the duration of the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO) in the state from today until Jan 26.

"They don’t have to come several times to get permit to go out to work, like when the MCO was enforced for the first time before. Now, they only have to apply once, and the permit can be used until the end of the MCO.

“To apply for the permit, they need to submit documents to confirm that they are self-employed, like traders or those who do odd jobs,” he told reporters after observing the situation at a roadblock in Pasir Pekan near here, last night.

He said this was one of the reforms by the police to facilitate movement by those who need to go out  during the MCO period.

For emergency cases, Shafien said the permit to travel can be applied at the police road block enroute to their respective destinations.

“However, they have to submit proof for the travel,” he added.

Previously, he said, permission to travel for emergency cases were required to be obtained from the police station.

Meanwhile, Shafien said a total of 448 personnel, comprising the Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysian Armed Forces and the Malaysian Volunteer Department (RELA),  are stationed at 19 roadblocks mounted at the borders of 10 districts in the state.

"There are some areas where we set up two or three roadblocks, such as in Pasir Puteh because of the presence of rat routes,” he added.

Yesterday, the government announced the enforcement of MCO in Kelantan from Jan 16 to 26 following the sharp increase in COVID-19 positive cases in the state.

-- BERNAMA