WHILE the Penang government has welcomed the reimplementation of the conditional movement control order (CMCO) by the Federal Government, it has also proposed to the Federal Government to give precedence in terms of further economic aid for states under CMCO.
State Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said he was certain that the Federal Government would take heed of the matter and consider further economic aid for the states under CMCO once again.
“This is important to avoid any kind of severe economic breakdown, mirroring a nationwide plight that struck us all when MCO was first implemented in March this year,” Jagdeep said during his visit to the Taman Tun Sardon public market for a standard operating procedure (SOP) check with his entourage today.
All states in Peninsular Malaysia, except for Kelantan, Perlis and Pahang, are under CMCO from Nov 9 until Dec 6.
Following the notable significant increase in Covid-19 cases as well as rate of infections in Kedah, Penang, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor and Terengganu by the Health Ministry, the Federal government decided to reimpose CMCO in the said states.
Referring to a report by an English daily, headlined ‘No parking woes in heritage area’, Jagdeep said this is not a good sign concerning the state’s economy.
“We hope the Federal Government will be able strike a balance between safeguarding the people’s health and safety, while continuously look into ways to generate the economy amid this Covid-19 pandemic.
“To all Penangites, stay calm and be disciplined by adhering to all the SOPs, and let us not concede defeat to this unprecedented social unrest that we are all fighting against with,” Jagdeep added during a brief press conference.
Separately, Jagdeep said out of the seven clusters in Penang (Intan, Bayan, Permatang, Alma, Penang Remand Prison, Seberang Perai Prison and Tembaga), a total of 11,245 health screenings had been conducted.
Out of the 11,245 screenings, a total of 1,292 cases had been identified.
Meanwhile, out of 420,104 and 641,886 checks on various premises conducted by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP), compliance rates of 99.69% and 99.35% were achieved respectively.
In total as of 8 Nov, both local councils achieved a staggering 1.06 million checks.
Also present during the press conference were MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang and MBPP secretary Datuk Addnan Mohd Razali.
To view the full SOP during this CMCO period in the state, visit https://www.facebook.com/majlisbandaraya.pulaupinang/photos/a.3484606534948668/3484606631615325
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Chan Kok Kuan