KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Only 1.5 million workers a day across Malaysia will be allowed to travel under new restrictions that will take effect from June 1 under the third movement control order (MCO 3.0).

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said new requests to travel for work must be directed to their respective ministries.

"Senior Minister (Works) Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof will chair a meeting to coordinate matters revolving permission letters for workers’ travel,” he said during a press briefing today explaining the new standard operating procedures (under MCO 3.0.

He added that all existing permission letters issued by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) that allowed workers to travel under previous iterations of the movement control order (MCO) will no longer be valid after May 31.

Ismail Sabri said he had received several messages on social media alleging that private sector employees had been forced by their bosses to work in the office instead of from home, despite restrictions on the number allowed to do so.

He said that the police and the Human Resources Ministry will monitor the situation and promised that the "most stern action will be taken against employers who are stubborn”.

He also called on workers to report employers who broke the rules.