Selangor Journal
Students adhere to the one-metre social distancing while waiting for their turn to board the buses to return back to their hometown at the Universiti Malaya’s Dewan Tunku Canselor in Petaling Jaya, on April 27, 2020. — Picture by BERNAMA

MOHE sends over 3,000 varsity students home today

PUTRAJAYA, April 30 — The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) is sending home 3,194 students from various universities today, which involves intrazone movement, according to Senior Minister (security cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the movement will involve four zones, namely the East Zone (Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu), Perak Zone, South Zone (Negeri Sembilan, Johor, and Melaka) and Sarawak Zone.

A total of 1,029 students will be sent to the East Zone, 519 to Perak Zone, 1,366 to South Zone, and 280 to the Sarawak Zone.

“Only one representative from their respective families can fetch them at the allocated pick up point, which is either at police headquarters or a district office.

“For those whose family representatives were unable to pick them up, they will be sent home by the government agencies involved,” he told the daily press conference on movement control order (MCO) here today.

Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said the announcement on the possible leeway for small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to resume operations, as well as their standard operating procedures (SOP) during the MCO will be made soon.

On public concerns over social distancing when two people are allowed to travel in a car in the fourth phase of the MCO, the minister said the matter was considered after taking into account the curve of Covid-19 infections in the country, which is gradually flattening.

“When we allowed only one person in a car in the first, second and third phases of the MCO, the number of positive Covid-19 cases were still very high and we received many complaints from those who had to travel alone,” he said.

When asked whether the decision would cause possible congestion at supermarkets, he said he believed that the public will continue complying with the SOP.

When asked about AirAsia’s move to resume its domestic flight operations, including to Miri, Sarawak, since yesterday, Ismail Sabri said the low-cost airline was allowed to do so to help meet the demands of passengers as Malaysia Airlines only flies to Sabah and Sarawak once a week.

“However, the SOP remains unchanged. Before they fly from any airports, they have to get police’s approval,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said any quarters wishing to send food donations to areas placed under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) were advised to do so through the operation centre at the EMCO areas.

He said this is to make it easier for the frontliners at the centres to coordinate and distribute the donations to the residents in the affected areas.

“It is also to monitor the distribution process as some residents have also received similar donations outside the knowledge of the operation centres,” he added.

In another development, Ismail Sabri said the Royal Malaysia Police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had opened 249 investigation papers relating to fake news on Covid-19.

He said the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia’s Quick Response Team, which was set up to curb the spread of fake news about Covid-19, had debunked 243 fake news since March 24.

“Those with information of fake news can channel it the team at 03-89115103 or verify the news at www.sebenarnya.my,” he said.

Ismail Sabri, who is also Defence Minister, also said 683 flouters of MCO were arrested yesterday, with only 85 released on police bail.

A total of 232 quarantine centres were operational as of today, with 17,447 people undergoing compulsory quarantine.

— Bernama

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