PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian police detained 96 individuals at pubs and nightclubs on Saturday (July 4) for violating the country's movement curbs as such establishments are supposed to remain shut.
Senior Minister (Security) Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Sunday (July 5) that those detained were involved in activities that went against standard operating procedures during the recovery movement control order (RMCO), with more businesses allowed to reopen.
Fourteen of them were detained and 151 fined immediately.
Pubs and nightclubs have remained shut since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, and are allowed to reopen only if the same facility contain restaurants for sit-in dining.
Datuk Seri Ismail said in a statement that the Covid-19 task force had conducted 61,727 checks to ensure compliance at supermarkets, restaurants, hawkers, factories, banks and government offices.
Cinemas, theme parks and live performances have been allowed to reopen in the current phase of the RMCO that will end on Aug 31.
Checks by The Star found that cinemas were popular choices for couples and groups of friends, but not for families with young children as kids under 12 were not permitted to enter.
Mr Ismail has said that these venues must comply with standard operating procedures such as ensuring social distancing at all times, temperature checks of visitors at the main entrance, and ensuring that the number of people allowed is in accordance with the size of their facilities.
Malaysia on Saturday reported 10 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 8,658.
Of the 10 new cases, seven were imported cases involving Malaysians who had caught the virus overseas, and three local transmissions.
The total number of deaths caused by the virus remained at 121.
