Malaysia

MCO? It’s pretty much business as usual


A policewoman checking for official documents at the Damansara Toll Exit.

KUALA LUMPUR: It was the first day of the movement control order. And it was just another day in the city.

From Kuala Lumpur to Petaling Jaya and on to Subang Jaya, it was business as usual in most parts of the Klang Valley.

The trains were packed at 8am, buses ran as usual, with standing passengers and there were no roadblocks in sight in the inner city roads.

A public transport user, who only wanted to be known as Lisa, said it was basically an ordinary day.

A policeman and soldier making sure all vehicles follow MCO rules.

“I took the train from Taman Paramount to KL Sentral and there were no police checks, it was really smooth,” she said. The KL Sentral concourse, however, was large enough to ensure social distancing and looked sparse when the passengers alighted.

This FMT reporter took an LRT ride from AsiaJaya to KLCC in an extremely packed train. Everyone had masks on but there was little scope for social distancing. At the KLCC bus stop, there was a crowd of people waiting. Buses that arrived were packed with passengers.

Another public transport user, Sarah Karina said she was not worried about being stopped for police checks as she had a letter from her employer.

A few shoppers were still looking for bargains in 1Utama.

“Although I have the letter from my employer, I am still confused over the rules of the MCO as the government did not give any proper details,” she said.

Plaza toll exits at Subang Jaya and Kota Damansara saw smooth traffic. Police checks were minimal as vehicles were allowed to pass through easily to avoid traffic jams during the peak hour.

However, road user Shubahshini Segaran said she did encounter a roadblock from Rawang to Subang, which made her an hour late for work.

An eatery at Sunway Pyramid is only open for takeouts.

“Even though I woke up at 5:30 am, I was still late. Tomorrow, I will have to wake up at least an hour earlier to avoid more traffic,” she said.

In addition, checks in Sunway Pyramid and One Utama showed that all shops were open. This included fashion retailers, jewellery shops, furniture stores and food courts. However, since it was early in the morning, there were few shoppers.

Although all shopping malls were ordered to close for the last two MCOs, there is no such rule this time and all were open, with Hari Raya decorations inviting shoppers.

The quite concourse area of KL Sentral. Trains that arrived there, however, we packed.

It was announced on Tuesday that six districts in Selangor would be placed under another MCO, with Kuala Lumpur and parts of Johor, Terengganu and Perak announced yesterday.

The six districts affected are Hulu Langat, Petaling, Gombak, Klang, Kuala Langat and Sepang from today until May 17.



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