Ismail said the National Security Council (MKN) had discussed several proposals and just needed to iron out the details.

“It’s easy to impose enhanced movement control orders (EMCOs) in Selangor, we can use the districts and sub-districts,” he told reporters at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) vaccination centre today.

“But KL does not have administrative districts, it doesn’t have district borders. So that’s what we’re studying. We will announce our measures for Selangor and KL this evening,” he said.

Noting public anger against factories being allowed to operate during the lockdown, Ismail said the authorities had been conducting daily checks on SOP compliance, and gave an assurance that action would be taken against those found not complying with the set rules.

He also hinted that some factories could be compelled to close based on what measures he announces for Selangor later today.

“Factories located in the affected sub-districts will automatically be forced to shut,” he said.

Selangor has consistently recorded triple-digit infections over the past few months, making up the majority of daily Covid-19 cases in Malaysia.

Yesterday, menteri besar Amirudin Shari reportedly said 91% of clusters in Selangor were related to workplaces, of which 80% came from factories while 11% were linked to construction sites.

On Sabah’s relaxation of its Phase 1 SOPs, Ismail reiterated that each state should follow the basic rules set by Putrajaya.

“We understand that every state is different, one system can’t fit all. But the basics can’t be different or else every state will announce their own SOPs, which will be difficult (to manage).

“That’s why we previously gave some leeway to Sabah and Sarawak on SOPs. But it cannot be too different from the SOPs we announce,” he reiterated.

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