Kelantan, Penang, Selangor, Pahang, Kedah, Negri, Sabah and Sarawak say no to reopening economy tomorrow.
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob clarified today that the country’s respective states will not be forced to adopt the conditional movement control order (CMCO) in its entirety and are allowed to make adjustments according to their needs.
However, he said any adjustment must be within the general guidelines released by Putrajaya.
“We have released general guidelines and SOPs for the whole nation.
“We have agreed that states can adjust the SOPs to their respective states and districts, but it must be in line with the guidelines released by the federal government,” he said in his daily Covid 19 briefing earlier today, in response to some states rejecting the conditional MCO announced on Friday..
Several states have said they would not relax restrictions despite the federal government’s decision to reopen the economy starting May 4 with certain conditions, which has sparked concern that this could set off fresh Covid-19 infections just as the number of new daily cases have dwindled.
Currently, five states from both sides of the political divide have decided to ignore the prime minister’s call to open up all economic sectors.
The Perikatan Nasional (PN) Sarawak government was among the earliest to refuse Muhyiddin Yassin’s call.
Earlier today, Pakatan Harapan state Sabah joined its Sarawakian neighbour in its decision against the CMCO.
Negri Sembilan also joined the bandwagon, citing the many Covid-19 hotspots and areas still under the EMCO in the state.
The Kedah state government was next to follow, with Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir saying that its special security committee will be meeting on Tuesday to see whether the CMCO is suitable or otherwise.
Another PN state which refused to follow Putrajaya’s lead is Pahang, which plans on discussing the CMCO during a Security Task Force meeting on May 8, 2020.
Selangor also appeared to snub Putrajaya when Menteri Besar Amirudin Shaari said the state won’t allow all businesses to resume operations.
Amirudin said the state is reviewing the level of preparedness of local authorities to handle the matter.
The Penang state government has also said no to reopening the economy tomorrow.
The state will only allow selected sectors to reopen starting May 8 under the CMCO, and finally other sectors on May 13.
Kelantan is holding off on implementing the CMCO. Menteri Besar Ahmad Yaakob said the matter will be discussed on Thursday and, until a decision is made, the terms of the MCO will remain in force in the state.
Perak will implement the CMCO tomorrow in all but two sectors – food, and sports and recreation.
Patrons are not allowed to dine-in at restaurants and controlled fresh markets are still not allowed to re-open. The state government also prohibits recreational activities in public parks in the state during the CMCO.