TRAVEL within a district during the movement-control order (MCO) is in accordance with the state administration’s district boundaries, and not police district boundaries, senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.

While inter-district travel is banned under the MCO, people are allowed to move within their district according to their administration borders, and they shouldn’t be fined by police for crossing police district boundaries.

Ismail Sabri said this in his daily press statement on Covid-19 movement restrictions, in response to public complaints about being compounded by police even though they were traveling within their district.

“Many have asked what district (boundaries) are we using, because there is the administrative district headed by the district officer, and there is the police district, so people are confused.

“We have never said, even from before, that the police district (boundaries) are to be used, we have always referred to administrative districts.

“I have personally informed the police that we are referring to government administrative districts,” he said in his statement.

For example, a traveller who is living in Subang Jaya is under the Petaling district and is to travel within Petaling.

Ismail Sabri said those who have been fined RM1,000 by the police for traveling in their own district can appeal their case at their respective district health office.

On hotel operations, he said all hotels are allowed to operate and those which have closed should not be mistaken as having been ordered by the government.

“The government has never instructed hotels to close under any of the movement control orders. Those that closed are those which want to minimise operations due to a lack of customers,” he said. 

The MCO order for all states except Sarawak will end on March 4. – February 23, 2021.