The National Security Council (MKN) said this centre will issue permission letters for those listed as essential to operate once it receives confirmation from the ministries overseeing the relevant sector.

Yesterday, senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said each ministry would issue letters to businesses under its purview.

Meanwhile, applications for employees’ permission to travel during the lockdown have to be submitted through Miti’s Covid-19 Intelligent Management System (CIMS) 3.0, which will also involve the relevant ministries.

These ministries oversee the 17 service sectors listed as essential during the two-week lockdown, which starts tomorrow.

In a statement, MKN said this was decided at its meeting over the Covid-19 situation chaired by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today.

Businesses were left confused and frustrated as they scrambled to find out which agency to approach to get permission for their workers to travel during the lockdown.

Ismail had said existing permission letters issued by Miti for work-related travel under previous movement control orders would no longer be valid after today, with the relevant ministries to issue new letters.

Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh had pointed out that a day before the lockdown, restaurant operators still did not know who to get permission from.

Meanwhile, Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming had suggested that the relevant ministries use Miti’s CIMS 3.0 system to issue permission letters for employees to travel, using the ministries’ respective letterheads.

He said approvals for non-manufacturing sectors can then come from the respective ministries with Miti only being the facilitator.

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