Stationery, computer shops given green light to open

Shops selling computers, telecommunication devices, books and stationery will be allowed to operate for the duration of the National Recovery Plan effective tomorrow.

Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in a statement today said a special meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) had agreed to permit them to operate after taking into account feedback from students, parents and teachers.

“This is to ensure that teachers and students can conduct teaching and learning at home (PdPR) without interruption,” he said.

Ismail said the Covid-19 pandemic had changed daily learning, and that all educational institutions were now practising the PdPR system.

He said the special meeting today also agreed to allow the movement of students from areas under enhanced movement control order (EMCO) or to EMCO areas, subject to police permission, for the purpose of taking examinations, including professional ones.

On the 13,215 new Covid-19 positive cases reported today, Ismail said this was due to the large-scale and targeted screening carried out in EMCO areas, especially in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan, the three states with the highest numbers.

He said from a total of 134,569 individuals who underwent screening tests yesterday, 50,646 were screened in Selangor with 6,120 positive Covid-19 cases recorded.

“The increasing trend of positive Covid-19 cases is happening not only in Malaysia but also in neighbouring countries such as Indonesia which recorded 56,757 positive cases today. Thailand recorded a total of 9,186 positive cases,” he said.

He said European countries were also struggling with an increase in cases, such as the UK which recorded 42,302 cases, and Russia which reported 25,293 cases.

Meanwhile, Ismail said seven localities in Sabah and Perak will come under EMCO until July 30 effective Saturday. The localities in Sabah are Kampung Perpaduan Gumpa in Kudat, Sabah Forest Industry Housing in Sipitang and Tawau Prison and the Taman Ehsan Prison quarters in Tawau.

The three localities in Kerian district, Perak, subjected to EMCO are the Tropicana Apartments Bukit Merah, Kampung Tersusun Pondok Tanjung and Kampung Binjai.

Meanwhile, Ismail said the EMCO in five localities in Perak, Melaka and Sabah has been extended to July 30, involving the Latexx Manufacturing Sdn Bhd Ffactory and workers’ hostels, namely Latexx Village and Ivor Hostel in Taiping, Perak.

In Melaka, the EMCO has been extended in Taman Mewah Kelemak, Alor Gajah while in Sabah the locality involved is Taman Jaya Diri in Kota Kinabalu, he said.

Ismail said the EMCO will end in a total of nine localities in Kuala Lumpur effective tomorrow, including four PPR areas, namely Sri Semarak, Batu Muda, Kampung Baru Air Panas and Kerinchi.

Other areas in Kuala Lumpur are Kampung Padang Balang, Taman Koperasi Polis (Phase Two), Flat Sri Sabah, Bandar Baru Sentul and Taman Ikan Emas. The EMCO will also end tomorrow in two localities in Tawau, Sabah – Kampung Mangga in Nasip Kita and Kampung Kijang in Balung.

In Sabah, the EMCO will also end tomorrow in Kampung Lingkodon in Kota Belud, Kampung Pintas Kubu di Beaufort, Kampung Muhibbah in Putatan and Kampung Goshen in Kota Marudu. The EMCO in Mukim Kuala Kuantan Satu in Kuantan, Pahang, will also end tomorrow while in Mukim Kuala Kuantan Dua it will end on Saturday.

Ismail said a total of 180 premises, including factories, business premises and construction sites were ordered to close yesterday for failing to comply with SOPs.

A total of 438 people were detained yesterday for violating SOPs. Of these, 404 were compounded, 33 were remanded and one was released on bail.