KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 — Pudu was cordoned off early this morning as authorities upped Covid-19 screening efforts in the area.

Armed Forces personnel was seen setting up barbed wire fencing as early as 3am at surrounding areas across Hotel Pudu Plaza, similar to recent efforts at the nearby Jalan Raja Bot wet market in Chow Kit. 

Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim confirmed the area was cordoned off, but said it was not under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO).

"It is not a lockdown but an exercise to ‘empower’ the movement control order (MCO),” Mazlan clarified to reporters this morning via text messages.

"It’s not an EMCO or tightening of the MCO. It’s just similar to what we did at the Jalan Raja Bot wet market in Chow Kit,” he further clarified. 

An Armed Forces personnel patrols the vicinity of Pudu in Kuala Lumpur May 15, 2020. — Picture by Hari Anggara

The market along Jalan Raja Bot in Kuala Lumpur had recently been ordered to close for two weeks by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

The market was closed till last Wednesday for sanitisation while the MOH conducted screenings on all market workers. 

Pudu is known as a magnet for crowds due to its proximity to Bukit Bintang and Chinatown as well as the high number of shops and schools in the area.

More than 500 foreign workers have been screened so far at the Pudu wet market and surrounding areas, as businesses were allowed to open under the conditional MCO on May 4.

Authorities, including personnel from MOH, the police, Kuala City Hall rounded up foreign workers, most of them working and living in the market and businesses around Jalan Pasar Baharu and Jalan Yew for swab tests.

On May 5, Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, said three areas, Taman Wilayah and Taman Desa Bakti in Selayang as well as Jalan Raja Bot in Chow Kit were not placed under EMCO, but partial EMCO.

Armed Forces personnel patrol the vicinity of Pudu in Kuala Lumpur May 15, 2020. — Picture by Hari Anggara