MCO 3.0 Just Got Tighter! Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The Latest SOPs

Since the first-ever Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced in Malaysia way back on 18 March 2020, there have been many variations to the name and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to MCO that it’s hard to keep track of. From MCO to CMCO to EMCO to RMCO to MCO 2.0 to the latest nationwide MCO 3.0 announced by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin recently on 1o May 2021, it can all get rather confusing.

Now, MCO 3.0 has a tighter set of SOPs to help curb the worrying surge of Covid-19 cases in our country. Just today, 6,320 daily cases have been recorded, with more than 6,000 cases reported daily for more than a week now. Let’s hope this latest iteration of MCO 3.0 SOPs would help in this effort.

Daily cases as of 22 may 2021.

So what are the latest SOPs? If you missed out on the Senior Minister for Security and Ministry of Health (MOH) Director-General’s joint statement on the matter today, worry not as we’ve got you covered. Here are all the latest SOPs for MCO 3.0 for your perusal, based on the talking points of Dato’ Seri Ismail Sabri’s statement today:

When will the tighter SOPs be implemented?

MCO 3.0 with tighter SOPs will be enforced starting 25 May 2021 (Tuesday) at 12am for the whole of Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territories of Labuan.

For illustrative purposes.

Strategy to mitigate movement

In order for movement in the country to be further mitigated, the government has decided that:

1. 80% of the public sector must work from home.

• This decision involves approximately 750,000 workers in the Malaysian public sector.
• These exclude essential workers and frontliners.

2. 40% of the private sector must work from home.

• Only 60% of the private sector workforce are allowed to be at their respective workplace at one time.
• This decision involves approximately 6,100,000 workers in the private sector.

3. All public transportation will operate at only 50% capacity.

• This involves both land and sea public transportation.
• Furthermore, the frequency of operation will also be reduced.

4. Restaurants are only allowed to operate from 8am to 8pm.

• Only takeaway, delivery and drive-through are allowed.
• Dine-in is not allowed.
• Park and dine is also not allowed.

For illustrative purposes.

5. Pasar Malam, supermarkets and other businesses operating hours:

• Sundry shops, supermarket and others are allowed to operate from 8am to 8pm.
• Pasar Malam or night markets are allowed to operate from 4pm to 8pm.
• Pet food shops allowed to operate from 8am to 8pm.
• Petrol stations are allowed to operate from 6am to 8pm. However, petrol stations located in highways are allowed to operate 24 hours.
• Pharmacies are allowed to operate from 8am to 10pm.
• Laundries, self-service laundries, optometrists, barber shops and saloons are allowed to operate from 8am to 8pm.

Additional SOPs:

• The private sector must hold the responsibility to ensure all workers and visitors scan MySejahtera before entering a premise.
• All premises must enforce a limit of visitors at one given time such as shops/supermarkets.
• There will be an aggressive spot check done by the authorities on government and private premises to ensure SOPs compliance.
• All enforcement agencies that have the power to compound must do their job diligently to make sure SOPs comply at public places as well as any place that are related to their job scope.
• The operation to check SOPs compliance will be increased on weekends/public holidays by the authorities and will not only focused on weekdays only.
• Further SOPs on the economic sector will be announced by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
• The authorities will also be conducting more roadblocks to ensure SOPs compliance.
• The government will also use the HIDE system to identify potential hotspots for the virus and high risks areas. After MOH agree to the high-risk identification of an area, it will be closed immediately.

For illustrative purposes.

If you find these SOPs to be quite familiar, well most of them are actually a rehash of older SOPs conducted during the various iterations of MCO. Well, let’s hope that these tighter SOPs will lead to the pandemic being under control once again in our country, as it was once upon a time.

What do you guys think of the new tighter SOPs of MCO 3.0? Do you think the steps are necessary? Or do you think it should be tighter? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Also read: JUST IN: Govt Will Enforce Tighter SOPs On Economic & Social Sectors For MCO 3.0