EMCO in Besut sub-district, two areas in Sarawak.

By: Haseena Syazlin

The EMCO will be imposed at the Pelagat sub-district in Besut, Terengganu starting May 20 to June 2. | Photo from: Google

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 MAY 2021: Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) announced that the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) will be imposed at the Pelagat sub-district in Besut, Terengganu starting May 20 to June 2.

According to Ismail Sabri, the EMCO would involve 13 villages in the sub-district.

As of yesterday, a total of 199 positive COVID-19 cases had been recorded in all localities in the sub-district from 1,092 screenings conducted by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

The MOH also reported a significant increase in cases with a high rate of infectivity in these areas.

"The implementation of EMCO is to control the movement of residents and break the chain of COVID-19 infection, as well as facilitate the MOH to conduct a large-scale COVID-19 screening exercise in the sub-district," he said in a statement today.

Ismail Sabri also stated that the EMCO would be enforced in the Wun Ak Ering longhouse and Sekolah Kebangsaan Bakerkong in Tanjung Manis, Mukah, Sarawak on the same date, from Thursday (May 20) until June 2 due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the area.

“Five positive cases were recorded within four days of conducting symptomatic screenings and a close contact tracing exercise,” he said.

Meanwhile, 514 people were arrested yesterday for violating the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the Movement Control Order (MCO), with 503 receiving compound notices and 11 being remanded.

Among the offences recorded were not wearing face masks involving 147 individuals, failing to record personal details or registration at premises (127), failing to observe physical distancing (62), ferrying more than the permitted number of passengers in a car (13) and other offences (165).