Malaysia records a 51% increase of MCO-related arrests
MCO violation: 992 arrests were made over the weekend
Image adapted from: Bernama
Our local authorities are taking the Movement Control Order (MCO) seriously, as seen by the daily headlines of new arrests made and fines given by PDRM officers against those who violate the government-implemented order.
However, it appears that the news has not made it through to some people as the country recorded a 51% increase in MCO-related arrests over the weekend of 4th-5th March 2020.
554 individuals arrested on Sunday alone
According to a news report by The Star, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob revealed that 554 individuals have been arrested for violating the MCO on Sunday, 5th April 2020.
This marked a 51% increase from the 368 arrests on Saturday, 4th April 2020, bringing the total number of arrests made over the weekend to a staggering 922. Since the start of MCO on 18th March, there have been a 6,048 arrests.
Image credit: Bernama
The Defence Minister expressed his disappointment over the recent figures as the country had previously recorded a decrease in MCO-related arrests for 4 continuous days, as stated by Free Malaysia Today. The impressive streak has now been broken by MCO flouters who made use of the weekend to swarm out of their homes.
Out of the 554 individuals arrested, 489 have been detained, 212 have been charged, and 65 have been released on bail.
Yaakob continued to say that Malaysians shouldn’t assume that it’s alright to go out during weekends as there are no exclusions to the MCO. Unless there is an emergency, everyone should stay put in their homes.
Authorities taking stricter measures during MCO
Yaakob announced that the authorities will be taking even stricter measures in efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country continues to increase.
A military officer holding a placard that urges Malaysians to stay home
Image credit: Reuters
On Sunday, police officers and military personnel conducted over 700 roadblocks nationwide to curb any unnecessary movement. They successfully inspected a total of 293,051 cars during yesterday’s roadblocks.
Business premises were also not excluded from the authorities’ scrutiny as almost 5,000 businesses were checked to make sure that none of them were flouting any MCO rules.
More Malaysians arrested for violating MCO
We may only have a week of MCO remaining, but the nation’s battle against COVID-19 is far from over. Plus, there is still a possibility that the government will issue another MCO extension if things don’t start looking up anytime soon.
This gives us all the more reason to do our part during this crucial time instead of blatantly violating the MCO by going for a weekend outing.
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