Student Fined RM1,500 At College Cafe For Not Wearing Mask, Health DG Says Authorities Are Investigating

Student fined RM1,500 while at campus cafe

Many Malaysians have been fined for flouting SOPs during the various stages of the Movement Control Order (MCO), with some even getting whopping ones of up to RM10,000. A recent case of an individual being fined is a student on campus, who is facing an RM1,500 fine for not wearing a mask.

However, netizens are sharing their grievances over the incident, as students are said to be staying on campus for months with limited interactions with outsiders. They also have little means of paying hefty fines. Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has since responded to the viral post, saying that authorities are investigating the incident.

Student allowance not enough to cover fine

On 19th April 2021, Twitter user @NabilAmirul4 brought to light the situation that had taken place at Perak Matriculation College in Gopeng. The post has since gone viral, with over 30K retweets and 26K likes at the time of writing.

According to him, the student in Perak had been isolated for the whole semester at the college.

However, he was fined RM1,500 by authorities when he entered a cafe on the campus grounds.

@NabilAmirul4 also lamented that the student’s allowance for 6 months only added up to RM1,250, which made the fine amount seem hefty.

Student gets fine of RM1,500 at college - student at cafe
Image credit: @NabilAmirul4

The OP also pointed to another tweet detailing the beginnings of the alleged story from an unnamed source, whose cousin happens to be a student at the college too.

According to the tweet, KKM had been investigating a food poisoning case at the campus cafe when the incident happened.

Several students were found not wearing their face masks, and consequently fined RM1,500 on the spot. But they had apparently not been in contact with outsiders for almost 5 months, other than their classmates, lecturers and college staff.

Nonetheless, KKM is said to have warned the students to put on their face masks prior to issuing fines.

Student gets fine of RM1,500 at college - fine for student
Image credit: @ainurjannxh

Another Twitter user @ainurjannxh also came out to share photos of the alleged saman notices that several students received. She also reiterated that the students have been isolated for 5 months now.

She said that one of the students was fined for allegedly pulling down her mask on her way to the cafe from class. She explained that the student had done so to catch her breath as she had just descended the stairs and it had been scorching outside.

Health DG says authorities will investigate incident

On 20th April, Health DG responded to the post on Twitter, tweeting, “Investigations are currently being carried out by the Perak Health Department. Thank you for the complaint. We will take action as soon as possible.”

Student gets fine of RM1,500 at college - Health DG
Image credit: @DGHisham

KKM also took to their Facebook page today to confirm that the matter is being investigated after Health DG tweeted about it.

Student gets fined RM1,500 while at college cafe

Most of us know how it feels to be strapped for cash while having to work hard and study for exams. Now, with the pandemic – and having to stay isolated while studying – students in collage may be facing even harder times. We’re glad that investigations are being carried out by authorities, and hope that a fair conclusion can be reached with those involved.