PUTRAJAYA: Wearing face masks have become a “health phenomenon” in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic and as such many fraud sales and purchasing syndicates have emerged on the Facebook and Whatsapp platforms.
Security and Senior Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, the victims from the fraud sales and purchasing of face masks have incurred losses amounting to RM5.5 million.
Ismail added, from March 18 until Jun 3 2020, the Royal Police of Malaysia (RPM) has opened 572 investigation papers with Selangor recording 122 while Johor and Penang each with 68.
“From the police investigations, 181 individuals were detained while 53 had been charged in the courts,” he said in his daily press conference held here today.
Ismail advised the people to be extra careful when purchasing any product using online platforms besides avoiding any engagement with suspicious websites and frequently check the comments from other purchasers.
“Do not be swayed and cheated by cheap offers,” Ismail reiterated.
On another development, the police had directed 111 vehicles to return for attempting to make inter-state travel without police permissions. Kedah had recorded the highest attempts with 63, Selangor 25 and Melaka 14.
“The police had detained 31 individuals for not complying with the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) and from that 26 had been remanded while five individuals were on police bails,” Ismail said.
Meanwhile 93 individuals were compounded for not complying with the CMCO and there was no compound issued for Hari Raya visit.
Responding to a question where some companies have requested their staff to go on quarantine for 14 days with no pay leave for inter-state travel, Ismail said, those who had police permissions need not go for quarantine as it was not in the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the National Security Council (NSC).
“Asking employees to take 14 days home quarantine without pay after inter-state travel is wrong and not complying with the guidelines set by the NSC.
“Only Malaysians returning from overseas and people in Sabah and Sarawak coming from the Peninsular have to be quarantined for 14 days. The inter-state or district travel in the Peninsular of Malaysia does not require a person to be quarantined for 14 days.
“This case should be reported to the Ministry of Human Resource and necessary actions should be taken on the employers,” he said.
In another development, the Security and Senior Minister advised child care centre operated from private homes to register with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) and the Social Welfare Department (JKM) for the safety of the children.
“The standard operating procedure (SOP) for child care centre is very strict and if not registered it is difficult to monitor whether they comply with the guidelines.
“If anything happens to the children under their care during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), the government would not be responsible,” Ismail said.
Yesterday the government had allowed 7.901 child care centres to resume operations with strict SOPs.
Ismail added, the child care centre operators could download the SOPs from the websites of the KPWKM and JKM for the safety of the children under their care. –Malaysia World News
