KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — Malaysians who were unable to carry out travels across state borders within the country according to the police’s schedule of May 7 to 10, will still have to seek police permission for interstate travel outside of those four days, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.

Ismail Sabri was asked today if there would be a new schedule for those unable to make their trips on the scheduled days of May 7 to May 10, or if they would have to wait after the end of the movement control order on May 12.

In response, Ismail Sabri pointed out that the new government regulations gazetted yesterday to enforce the conditional MCO still disallows interstate travel except under certain situations, noting that the police’s four-day schedule of May 7 to May 10 is an exception to this rule.

“The exception that is allowed is only four days, beyond these four days, then it is subject to the regulations where interstate travel is not allowed.

“However, before this, there was interstate travel, but it is mandatory to get permission from the police.

“So anyone who missed the four days determined, if they want to carry out interstate travel, they must report to the police and get police permission to travel, so it is the police’s discretion to allow.

“But if possible, I urge that to make things easier, use the dates fixed by the police to go back to your home or to work,” he said in a press conference broadcast “live” today.

Under the new Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within Infected Local Areas) (No. 5) Regulations 2020, regulation 5(1) provides that no one shall move from state to state or federal territories, except for purposes of going to and from work, and for a person who is stranded at any place due to the MCO and wishes to return home.

Section 5(2) of the new regulations also states that a person who needs to carry out interstate travel for a “special and particular reason” would have to obtain written permission first from the police officer in charge of the police station nearest to his home.

Yesterday, police announced that Malaysians would either have to use the latest version of the Gerak Malaysia app to apply for interstate travel, or make an appointment at the nearest police station to make an application physically for such travels.

Here’s the travelling schedule that Malaysians who applied for interstate travel would have to comply with:

1.            May 7 (Thursday) — Travel out of Kuala Lumpur

2.            May 8 (Friday) — Travel out from Perak, Johor, Kelantan

3.            May 9 (Saturday) — Travel out from Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Melaka and Pahang

4.            May 10 (Sunday) — Travel out from Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu