SENIOR Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the public must not abuse the relaxed terms of the conditional movement control order (CMCO) and warned of stricter measures if compliance is unsatisfactory.

He expressed regret that many people appeared to be taking the CMCO lightly by going to shopping malls and restaurants.

“Many are now taking advantage. I saw photos yesterday of many people flooding stalls in Kg Baru to get meals for break fast. 

“I thought it was fake but then the cops confirmed it is real,” he told the daily briefing on Covid-19 security matters.

“The CMCO may be tightened if the situation worsens. It all depends on all of you. 

“If you want the rules to be stricter, then we will impose the MCO once again,” the defence minister and National Security Council spokesman said.

The MCO, which began on March 18, ended today but had been replaced on May 4 by the CMCO, which allows most economic sectors to resume operations.

Under the CMCO, rules under the MCO, such as one person to a car and travel within a 10km-radius only, are no longer in force.

People can also go out for solo exercises. 

However, sports activities in gyms, stadiums or halls, religious gatherings and worship services are still banned.

Schools and universities also remain closed.  

Under the CMCO, shops, restaurants, supermarkets and petrol stations are allowed to open for longer hours, while restaurants are allowed to serve dine-in customers, provided the set up is changed to allow for social distancing.

The government has been taking a targeted approach to the Covid-19 outbreak by tracing close contacts of index cases for testing and isolation, instead of mass testing.

It also uses enhanced movement control orders (EMCO) or stiffer lockdowns to isolate localities where Covid-19 infections have been detected to test, trace and isolate the local population for the coronavirus.

The CMCO will be in force until June 9. – May 12, 2020.