Inter-district travel ‘ban’ spread on social media is fake news

Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob stated that inter-district travel, travelling within the same state or territory, is still allowed and that reports on social media that say otherwise are fake. Inter-state travel, though, is still banned.

“You don’t find this piece of news in the mainstream media, but only on social media. If it is not in the mainstream media, then it is fake news,” he said.

There was inaccurate news floating around social media that said Terengganu police declared a new rule banning inter-district travel. However, Terengganu’s Police Head Datuk Roslee Chik said to not believe everything shared online and to fact check before sharing.

New regulations could be enforced in the future

He goes on to mention that for example, inter-district travels from Petaling Jaya to Kajang can be done. However, he said the Health Ministry has the authority to make new regulations that can be enforced under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).

“For instance, for now, people are not prevented from visiting graves or taking children to supermarkets. But if the ministry feels that a regulation on this needs to be enforced, then it can do so,” said the Senior Minister.

The grave visit ban is only true if you stay in Penang. Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAINPP) President Ahmad Zakiyuddin said that even though visiting graves is a ‘sunat’ practice (recommended, not required), Muslims in the state are advised to postpone it due to the pandemic.

As for the issue of parents bringing their young children to shopping complexes, the Senior Minister said that there are implications if a regulation is put in place for this.

“If one is a single mother and she is not allowed to bring her child when she goes shopping, what are her options? If we have a law to disallow children from malls, then this single mother will be compounded. But she cannot possibly leave the child at home alone, or in the car, as this will lead to other issues and problems. We did discuss this and have asked the Health Ministry and the National Security Council to look into the matter in detail,” he added.

We’ve also reported that inter-state travel is still prohibited unless it is for emergency reasons. Movement between Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya is considered as inter-district and it is permitted during the CMCO. Even though technically Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Selangor are different states or territories, they are all categorised as the Klang Valley.

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