KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — The government has restricted the daily operational hours for public transport to 6am to 10am and 5pm to 10pm due to the drop in passenger numbers following the enforcement of the movement control order (MCO).

Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said during the MCO, public transport is only needed by workers travelling to and from work.

"That is why we have imposed new operating hours for public transportation. Also, it is difficult to maintain the one-metre social-distancing order in public transportation,” he said during a press conference this afternoon.

However, Ismail said that the new operating hours for public transport will not affect e-hailing services.

"But e-hailing drivers should follow safety precautions and the social distancing order,” he added.

Separately, Ismail also said that all petrol stations should prepare hand sanitiser at every pump in order to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

"We know many are worried about this; therefore, we will make it compulsory for all petrol stations to prepare hand sanitiser for customers.

"This will allow them to clean their hands before and after using the petrol pump,” he said.