KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for childcare centres during the conditional movement control order (CMCO) period is subject to the directives of the National Security Council (MKN) and advice of the Health Ministry (MOH), the Women, Family and Community Development Minister said today.

Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah would elaborate on the implementation of the SOP for childcare centres at his Covid-19 media conference today.

"I have contacted the MOH, and it will explain about the SOP, which is provided through discussions between the ministry, the Social Welfare Department (JKM) and MOH.

"The SOP (for nurseries) will not be issued without the advice and reference from MOH and MKN because this is a matter of security and public health,” she said when met by reporters during her visit to Wisma Bernama here.

Rina said in the country’s efforts to break the chain of Covid-19 infection, every SOP issued was based on the advice of experts, especially from MOH.

"We appreciate their sacrifices and there’s no discrimination. JKM employees are also part of the frontliners. However, I welcome any views (on this matter),” she said, dismissing claims that the SOP for nurseries is a form of discrimination against children of frontliners.

The media reported calls from paediatricians to cancel the updated SOP as it was seen as discriminating against frontliners’ children for allegedly discouraging them from attending nurseries or asking for them to be segregated from other children if they are sent there.

Rina, who is the Member of Parliament for Titiwangsa, spent about 30 minutes having a close look of the operations of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) in conjunction with Hari Raya. — Bernama