KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — People who are stuck in their hometowns can make their way back to their residence in movement control order (MCO) areas by tomorrow before the police start enforcing tighter inter-district and interstate travel restrictions, said Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the government will allow some leniency until tomorrow as it did not want a repeat of workers not being able to return to work after being stuck in their hometowns as was seen during the first MCO last year.

"We do not want it to happen like before when we had to organise a specific programme to allow those who were stuck in their hometowns to return home.

"They will have to do it at least by Friday or face being stuck in their hometowns for the next two weeks.

"Until January 15, the approach taken is still one of advice, but after that, the police will be stricter when it comes to enforcing the MCO,” he told a press conference today.

Ismail Sabri added that those with plane and express bus tickets will be allowed to proceed with their journey.

During the same press conference, he said the police arrested 389 for violating various standard operating procedures (SOP) on the first day of MCO 2.0 yesterday.

He said among the violations were not wearing a face mask in crowded public places, not practising social distancing and not recording customers’ details.