MORE than 30 million Malaysians now have their movements restricted by Putrajaya’s unprecedented prohibition on travel and mass gatherings, which the government said is needed to curb a wave of Covid-19 infections.

The movement-control order, issued by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 and the Police Act 1967 on Monday night, bars all gatherings. The last time similar orders were issued was five decades ago, during the May 13 riots.

Malaysians are also barred from travelling abroad, with curbs placed on foreigners coming into the country. Families have to stay at home now that schools, universities, government offices as well as private businesses not involved in essential services are closed for the next two weeks.

In his address to the nation on Monday night, Muhyiddin described the prohibitions as “necessary” to combat the virus.

In the two days since then, however, his new Perikatan Nasional government, formed at the beginning of March following the collapse of Pakatan Harapan, has had to face mounting criticism over the haphazard nature of the order’s implementation.

Last night, Muhyiddin addressed the nation again where he urged Malaysians to “just stay at home”. He also said if the chain of infections cannot be broken in this period, the order will be extended.

Several issues have also drawn flak over its poor implementation and coordination, among them:

1. U-turn on inter-state travel restriction

Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador said people must obtain police permission before inter-state travel. It was rescinded hours later but not before thousands of applicants swarmed police stations.

A federal gazette the next day when the movement-control order began said people travelling to other states must still obtain police permission. However, the mechanism to apply for permission has not been finalised.

2. Mass exodus out of Klang Valley, increasing infection risks

Bus and train terminals in the Klang Valley were flooded with tens of thousands of people on Tuesday night rushing to return to their hometowns before the order took effect yesterday.

The chaos was in part prompted by the first list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) explaining the order issued by the National Security Council (NSC) on Tuesday, which said all students, including foreigners, must leave their campus accommodation for the duration.

3. Confusion for university students

However, in a third version of the FAQs, issued on Tuesday evening, the NSC said students can choose to stay on campus during the period. By then, many students were already either travelling home or waiting at the terminals, exposing themselves to possible infection.

The scenario prompted health experts to say the exodus defeated the purpose of the containment order.

And in another about turn, a list of FAQs by the Higher Education Ministry yesterday said all students must remain on campus during the period.

This is “even if they have bought tickets to return to their respective homes”, the ministry said, adding that the same ruling applies to polytechnics and community colleges.

4. Blanket travel ban on all Malaysians, including those working in Singapore

With no coordination with Singapore, this resulted in hundreds of thousands of workers in Johor Baru prevented from getting to their jobs in the city-state.

An offer from Singapore on Tuesday to provide accommodation for Malaysians working in the city-state caused a jam at the Causeway past midnight. Photos of people walking across the border amid vehicles stuck on the Causeway were shared on social media.

Yesterday afternoon, Johor said it is mulling reopening its border with Singapore, with health screenings on both sides.

5. Initial lack of clarity over food shops that can operate

There was a lack of clarity over which food shops and restaurants can remain open and how people can buy food when the control order was announced on Monday night.

Reporters immediately peppered the Prime Minister’s Department WhatsApp group with questions. It was only on Tuesday and yesterday when more information trickled out that eateries can operate, but only for takeaways and deliveries. Dine-ins are not allowed.

6. Disruption of e-learning

The order also resulted in the cancellation of all university classes, including online ones, during an ongoing semester. At the same time, many universities were already preparing to conduct online learning classes even before the order was issued.

The cancellation, which can potentially prolong semesters and raise more questions for university administration and academic planning, was only revealed to the public yesterday, although the decision, based a Higher Education Ministry circular, was dated Tuesday.

Clarifying the move, the ministry said yesterday only institutions of higher learning running fully on online teaching and learning platforms are allowed to continue, as these institutions already have the facilities and techniques in place.

Government created panic

Former deputy director-general of health Prof Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman told The Star yesterday that the implementation of the order was badly thought out and executed.

“Now we have created panic anyway, and with people escaping in the thousands from Klang Valley, where most of the cases are, it only helped to spread the disease further,” he was quoted as saying.

As of yesterday, the number of infected patients was 790, with two deaths of a 60-year-old and 34-year-old.

The 34-year-old man, from Johor, had attended the tabligh at the Masjid Jamek Sri Petaling earlier this month.

Of the total number of confirmed cases, 513 have been traced to the same event at the mosque.

The country is currently in a second wave of Covid-19 infections, which began on February 27, after 11 days of no new cases. In the first wave, there were only 22 cases.

An estimated 16,000 people, of whom 14,500 are local, attended the mosque gathering from February 27 to March 1. – March 19, 2020.