Home minister announces nationwide crackdown on SOP violations in economic sectors

The home ministry today announced the implementation of Ops Patuh, a nationwide integrated and large-scale operation against non-compliance with the SOPs in economic sectors allowed to operate during the total lockdown period.

Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said this followed a decision at the special meeting of the National Security Council on June 21 to let the home ministry lead and coordinate all aspects of the enforcement of SOP compliance during the lockdown period.

He told a media conference today that the immediate implementation of Ops Patuh was decided at the first meeting of the Covid-19 Movement Control Order (MCO) SOP Enforcement and Compliance Coordination Committee that he chaired today.

Hamzah said Ops Patuh would focus on aspects of the wrongful use of approval letters to operate issued by the relevant ministries, departments and agencies.

He said mobile roadblocks would also be mounted at industrial and manufacturing areas nationwide identified as Covid-19 hotspots.

To ensure effective monitoring, strategic assets belonging to enforcement agencies such as helicopters and drones will be used, he said.

“Assertive and effective enforcement is vital to ensuring that the country can move to a better recovery phase faster and in line with the National Recovery Plan that has been formulated by the government,” he said.

On the SOP compliance operation, Hamzah said his ministry had inspected 123,469 business premises and 21,219 factories nationwide from June 18 until yesterday.

Through the operation, the authorities issued 885 compound notices to factories and business premises while 265 premises were ordered to close and 39 individuals were arrested for various offences of not complying with the SOPs as well as violating the MCO, he said.