Refer to special ministerial meeting before introducing SOP, state govts told

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this was to avoid clashes with the SOP implemented at the federal level.

“There are states that make their own decisions to cancel and disallow some business and social activities...some do not allow barbershops (to re-open) and some have instructed closure of playgrounds. In fact, there are states planning to close certain villages using the Enhanced MCO.

“So we call on the states involved to first refer to the Special Ministerial Meeting as previously done by Sarawak for permission to restrict inter-zone travel movements,” he told a press conference on the RMCO development at the Parliament Building here today.

He said such an order could not be enforced without obtaining approval from the National Security Council (MKN) and the Ministry of Health (MOH).

It could even be challenged in court if implemented, he added.

“The police, for example, will only (exercise their power to) control and take action according to the order issued by the federal government.

“They will refer to the source of power, which is Act 342 under the federal jurisdiction,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said although the MOH had detected the D614G mutation from the Sivagangga and Bukit Tiram cluster patients, its spread could be contained by implementing the Targeted Enhanced Movement Control Order (TEMCO) in the affected areas.

“This situation (TEMCO) is seen as successful and until today there is no new infection in the Sivagangga cluster,” he said.

Prior to this, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the sudden increase in cases in the Sivagangga cluster is among the evidence that D614G mutation could make the disease 10 times more infectious.

He said the ministry found that the Sivagangga cluster spread rapidly due to the D614G type mutation and laboratory studies had also confirmed it.