KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — The government has decided to enforce the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) on two detention centres for illegal immigrants, at Home Ministry’s Setia Tropika complex and the Sultan Iskandar Building Immigration Department in Johor Bahru beginning tomorrow till April 10.
Senior Minister (Security cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the enforcement of the EMCO at the two detention centres is to facilitate the Health Ministry’s (MOH) implementation of mass screenings on all detainees, employees and close contacts to ensure there were no infections within the community following a rise in Covid-19 positive cases.
“Until now, MOH has screened 82 illegal immigrants at Setia Tropika and 39 individuals were found to be Covid-19 positive.
“Meanwhile until March 25, 51 positive cases were recorded at the Sultan Iskandar Building Immigration Department detention centre based on screenings conducted on detainees with symptoms,” he said in a statement regarding the enforcement of the conditional movement control order (MCO) and the recovery MCO today.
Ismail Sabri said the government agreed to enforce the EMCO at both locations after conducting a risk assessment with various agencies in the MCO Technical committee and based on the advice of the MOH.
He said the government also decided to end the EMCO in Kampung Lingkudau, Keningau, Sabah as scheduled tomorrow.
According to him, the decision was made after taking into consideration the Covid-19 risk assessment, and the declining trend in positive cases in the locality.
“Till now, the MOH has conducted 1,396 screening tests and 91 positive cases were recorded,” he said.
Regarding the compliance operations task force, Ismail Sabri said 80 individuals were detained for various MCO standard operating procedure (SOP) violations, with compounds being issued to 79 individuals, and one individual being remanded.
The highest violations involved failure to prepare equipment to record customer details, with 26 cases, entertainment centre activities (24), failure to maintain physical distancing (16), unauthorised interstate and inter-district activities (nine), not wearing face masks (four) and one other offence.
Under Op Benteng yesterday, 10 illegal immigrants were detained while four land vehicles and a boat were seized.
— Bernama
