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NOW ROUNDING | These are the key headlines you may have missed, shortly.
1. Chief Minister (Defense Group) Ismail Sabri Yaakob clarified that only industries under the purview of the Ministry of Industry and International Trade, and public officials under the purview of the Department of Public Services, are affected by the work order from the government’s house, which takes effect from today (October 22) in areas under a conditional movement control order (CMCO). Many other sectors, such as the service sector, are not affected.
2. Ismail Sabri also said that Covid-19 testing for workers who continue to report to their workplace in “red zones” would not be mandatory, except for foreign construction workers and security guards, but still thus it is highly recommended for other workers. He chuckled at the public confusion that ensued after his work-from-home ad Tuesday.
3. The Attorney General’s Office said it would not press charges against the Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali, for his alleged violation of quarantine, because the minister did not receive the relevant documentation to instruct him to undergo quarantine. As many denounced the “double standards”, the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, said that this serves as a reminder for front-line doctors to adhere to standard operating procedures.
4. In an apparent change of mind, Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi unilaterally declared a “political ceasefire” and said his party will strengthen its relationship with Perikatan Nasional. PKR said it “‘respects'” Zahid’s announcement, but will continue to work to “restore the rule of the people.”
5. While water supplies have been gradually restored after another round of disruptions in Selangor, the state government has reiterated its call for tougher sanctions against those who pollute the rivers.
6. An improved MCO has been declared in Seberang Perai Prison and the surrounding neighborhoods in Penang, as well as in the Taman Harmoni Popular Housing Project (PPR) in Sandakan, Sabah. Meanwhile, 26 districts across the country have been classified as Covid-19 “red zones” for the past 14 days.
7. An informal poll by the National Security Council found much support for stricter restrictions on social activities in the Klang Valley, with 91 percent of respondents voting in favor of such measures.
8. Two workers at a pet store tested positive for Covid-19, including one at a point of sale in the 1 Utama mall that previously declared itself free of the coronavirus.
9. Malacca Umno Youth Treasurer Mohd Noor Helmy was ordered to pay RM 150,000 to former Putra Specialist Hospital General Manager Chong May Lee after the latter won a defamation lawsuit against him.
10. The government is now saying that its contract for the Klang Valley Double Tracking (KVDT2) rail project has not yet been canceled.
