By Ling Hui
KUCHING, May 13: Standard operating procedures (SOPs) enforced during Sarawak’s Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) is 99 per cent the same as that of MCO in Peninsular Malaysia.
This was raised by a Facebook user with the name ‘Irk Saf’ when he shared a compilation of SOPs in the Facebook private group ‘Sarawak Covid-19 Awareness Group’ to show that most restrictions listed in Sarawak CMCO and Peninsular Malaysia MCO are identical.
Among the listed similarities in SOPs between Sarawak’s CMCO and Peninsular Malaysia’s MCO:
1. Physical classes closed until June 13.
2. Shopping malls are still operational.
3. Dine-ins prohibited and only takeaways, drive-thru and deliveries are allowed.
4. Social ceremonies are not allowed.
5. Only 30 per cent of management workforce allowed to work in office, the remaining 70 per cent compulsory to work from home.
6. Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayers allowed at 50 per cent capacity of mosques.
7. Seminars, workshops, courses, training and exhibitions prohibited.
8. Cinemas and karaokes prohibited.
9. All economic activities allowed to operate.
The user also listed the following as slight differences in SOPs between Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia:
Sarawak CMCO: Ramadan bazaars not allowed to operate.
Peninsular Malaysia MCO: Ramadan bazaars allowed to operate at one time, then instructed to close, then given green light again.
Sarawak CMCO: Business operating hours until 7pm (Betong), 8pm (Bintulu, Kapit and Sibu) and 10pm (Kuching, Sarikei and Miri).
Peninsular Malaysia MCO: Business operating hours until 12 midnight.
Sarawak CMCO: Night markets not allowed to operate in Covid-19 red zones (except for Metrocity N6 Youth Night Market, Kuching and Saberkas Night Market, Miri).
Peninsular Malaysia MCO: Night markets are allowed to operate.
Sarawak CMCO: Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration limited to only the first day with close family members only.
Peninsular Malaysia MCO: All Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations are not allowed.
Sarawak CMCO: Only three persons allowed in a private vehicle, except for Kuching where the number of passengers is based on vehicle capacity.
Peninsular Malaysia MCO: Only three persons maximum allowed in a private vehicle.
Sarawak CMCO: Only half of employees allowed to work on-site.
Peninsular Malaysia MCO: All factories allowed to operate with full force.
Sarawak CMCO: All preschools and kindergartens closed, except for those taking care of frontliners’ children.
Peninsular Malaysia MCO: All preschools and kindergartens allowed to operate with certain SOPs.
Sarawak CMCO: Inter-district travel allowed only within the same zones.
Peninsular Malaysia MCO: Inter-district travel prohibited except for essential services with police permits.
Sarawak CMCO: Grave visits during Hari Raya Aidilfitri not encouraged, allowed with not more than five individuals at any one time.
Peninsular Malaysia MCO: Grave visits during Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration prohibited.
Sarawak CMCO: Gymnasiums not allowed to operate.
Peninsular Malaysia MCO: All gymnasiums are open.
While stating these comparisons, ‘Irk Saf’ emphasised that SOPs, be it the same or different between states, must be fully complied with and not only partially.
“Finally, I’d like to remind everyone of the clusters in Sarawak. Funeral cluster, bistro or dinner cluster, spring cleaning cluster, school clusters… all of them involved activities with friends and families,” he said in one of the posts on May 11.
He also reminded all members of the public to wear face masks properly and not half-heartedly especially when dining with individuals not from the same household or being present in offices.
He added that removing face masks for picture-taking as demonstrated in the Icom Cluster has risks and thus, 100 per cent SOP compliance is the key.
He ended his Facebook post with: “Think about it.” — DayakDaily
