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PUTRAJAYA: The Emergency Ordinance will give authorities more leverage to handle the Covid-19 pandemic, including instructing private hospitals to host infected patients, says Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said that the Ordinance, once Yang di-Pertuan Agong has given his consent, also allows Armed Forces personnel to arrest and lock up illegal immigrants entering the country via illegal routes, a measure that previously could only be carried out by the police. .
Ismail Sabri said that in a scenario where buildings and hotels must be used for quarantine purposes, authorities could order facility owners to do this or risk taking action.
Strict action will also be taken against employers who refuse to send their foreign workers for Covid-19 detection, he said, adding that the Ordinance would allow authorities to determine more dissuasive penalties.
“There is a lot we can do to help deal with the pandemic. That is why the Emergency proclamation was needed, ”he said yesterday at his press conference.
Ismail Sabri also explained that the Ministry of Health is in talks with private hospitals to propose that they help in the treatment of Covid-19 in asymptomatic patients or with mild symptoms.
On Tuesday, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah consented to the proclamation of a state of emergency under article 15 of the Federal Constitution.
The state of emergency at the national level until August 1 is to stop the Covid-19 pandemic that has reached alarming levels in the country.
On the other hand, Ismail Sabri said that public parks in the states under the motion control order are closed for any recreational and sports activities.
He said that when the government announced that activities such as cycling and jogging would be allowed during the 14 days of the MCO, it was up to them to carry out these activities only in their neighborhoods.
“Public parks will be closed during MCO. There will be no jogging or other recreational activities there because we don’t want these places to be crowded.
“I hope the public refrain from going to public parks as the authorities can take action against them,” he said.
He also said that self-service laundry facilities would be allowed to operate in MCO areas, adding that the special meeting of the National Security Council had agreed to this after hearing complaints from the public that they want this service to be allowed.
“We have agreed to allow the self-service laundry to operate, but operators must ensure that strict SOPs are followed,” he said.
Operators should have staff on duty at the facility, who can operate from 6 am to 8 pm, to monitor compliance with SOPs.
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