"We will obey the government's decision" - Sungai Lui residents

Residents of Sungai Lui in Hulu Langat near here mostly accept the government's decision to implement the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) in their area starting 12 midnight Monday.

In addition to seeing it as a good move for the health safety of the locals, they also want the COVID-19 outbreak chain to be broken down quickly.

For Farizuan Abdul Hamid, 25, there was no panic in the 23rd mile, Sungai Lui area where he is residing.

“At about 4pm today, we were informed about the EMCO. At a glance, there seems to be a lack of movement in the village.

"Otherwise there is always a passing vehicle. Now nothing. There was no panic as the MCO (Movement Control Order) had started earlier. In this village, there is no panic and things are very much under control," he said when contacted by Astro AWANI.

Farizuan, who works in a bank, said the announcement made at about 4.30 pm today had prepared the residents of what was to come.

Meanwhile, food stall trader Mohamad Zamri Abdul Hamid, 52, said since the start of the MCO on March 18, he had decided to shut down his stall.

He said that although many of the tahfiz students in the area were his customers, the health of the locals was his priority.

“Since March 18, I haven't opened my stall. I obeyed the directives of the government even though customers can still buy food for takeaway. I don't want to open it. I am scared,” he said when contacted by Astro AWANI.

He added that locals also did not know if any villagers nearby were tested positive for COVID-19.

“We didn't even know that because the tahfiz boys came to pray at our mosque, even before (the implementation of MCO). Some of them came and ate here, no problem.

“None of the villagers here were infected but the majority were the tahfiz boys from the 24th mile.”

“For us here at the 23rd mile, there was no problem at all,” he added.