Malaysian police and army monitor Raya visits
Raya house visits will be monitored closely
Image adapted from: Firdaus Latif
With Hari Raya around the corner, Malaysians have been swept up with preparations for the festivities. However, as the nation is still in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak, Malaysians now need permission from local authorities before crossing state borders to balik kampung.
While a good number of us have complied with the SOP set by the government, there are still reports of unauthorised travellers trying to sneak past roadblocks on their way back to their hometowns.
In light of this situation, the authorities have rolled up their sleeves and are prepared to pull out all the stops necessary to track these unauthorised travellers. And they’re doing this by setting up more roadblocks and carrying out nationwide house visits.
Door-to-door inspections to nab MCO violators
According to The Star, police officers and army personnel will be making home visits nationwide ahead of Raya celebrations to bust any travellers who have not obtained permission to cross state borders. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said that the local authorities are taking strict measures to ensure that the interstate travel ban is properly enforced.
After all, we’re in a critical period that will determine if our country will remain on track to lower the number of new COVID-19 cases. Else, we easily face a 2nd wave of infections.
Image adapted from: Bernama
As reported by Malay Mail, police and army personnel have agreed to take on shifts during the Raya period in order to continue enforcement efforts. This means that families may receive a surprise visit from the authorities during the Aidilfitri celebration itself, especially if there are a significant number of cars outside the house. The authorities will then drop by to make sure that there are fewer than 20 people inside, as per the SOP.
Image adapted from: Bernama
In addition to house visits across residential areas and villages, authorities will also be checking vehicles to confirm if they have the permits needed to travel interstate. And to those who had successfully managed to sneak past roadblocks when driving back to their hometowns, the government wants you to know that you’ll have a tougher time evading them on your way back as they’ve tightened security at state borders.
In Penang alone, authorities have deployed 140 patrol teams and set up 18 roadblocks at all entry points. Malaysians can expect other state authorities to be doing the same.
Police resort to house visits to keep Malaysians in check
With all the news we’ve been reading about motorists being forced to turn back and getting slapped with fines upon being caught by authorities, Malaysians should know by now that the government is taking this interstate travel ban seriously. While some may feel that going to the extent of carrying out house visits is a tad bit extreme, the actions can be warranted by the shockingly high number of unauthorised vehicles that have so far been caught for inter-state travel.
Although it’s a pity that not all families will be reunited for Raya celebrations this year, it’s a small sacrifice to ensure many more happy celebrations with our family and friends in the long future.
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