KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 — The police yesterday detained 523 individuals for violating the recovery movement control order (RMCO), with the bulk of offenders arrested at nightclubs and pubs.

Of these, 483 were issued compounds while the rest were remanded for further investigations.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the offences were detected from standard operating procedure (SOP) checks done at 45,847 locations nationwide. 

“Among the offences included pubs and nightclubs activities (356), failing to observe physical distancing (105), failure to wear face mask (38), businesses failing to record patron details (20) and four arrests were made on foreign national entering the country without permission,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said the administrative enhanced movement control order enforced (EMCO) at Melor Zone, Aman Jaya, Kedah ends today.

The decision to end the administrative EMCO was made after no new positive Covid-19 cases were recorded for 13 days from September 14.

“The administrative ECMO will end today as scheduled.

“The end of the order was made after no new positive Covid-19 cases were recorded for a period of 13 days beginning from September 14,” he said.

During the administrative ECMO, a total of 4,931 samples were taken in the Melor Zone and the number of cases detected from this cluster remains at 13, which were recorded on September 13.

The Aman Jaya administrative EMCO, enforced on August 28, involved a total of 22,360 individuals comprising 265 households.

The order was enforced following a spike in Covid-19 cases attributed to the Tawar cluster that started in Kedah.

He also said the targeted EMCO (TEMCO) at the Tawau Prison Prison and Taman Ehsan Prison Quarter in Tawau, Sabah, was extended for another two weeks from its initial expiry on September 25.

“Throughout the TEMCO period, there was an increase in cases at two per day.

“Taking this into account, the government has decided to extend the duration of the TEMCO period for another 14 days, starting September 26 to October 9,” said Ismail Sabri.