KUCHING: Seventeen individuals comprising 15 men and two women were issued with a RM1,000 compound fine each for failing to practise social distancing in two different eateries.
Kuching District police chief ACP Awang Din Awang Gani said that the first premises inspection took place on Tuesday night (July 21) around 11.10pm at Jalan Pending.
Thirteen men who failed to practise social distancing were brought to the Sekama police station in order to be issued with the fines.
The second inspection took place on Wednesday morning (July 22) at around 10.10am at Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce.
Three customers and a premises operator were found to have failed to practise social distancing and were subsequently transported to the Kuching Police Crime Investigation Division (CID) office for compounding purposes.
“All the patrons in both premises were seen to have been sitting close to each other and had ignored the government’s advice to practise social distancing amidst the recovery movement control order (RMCO).
“The fines issued were in accordance to Regulation 3 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) (No 7) Regulations 2020,” he said in a statement.
Awang Din said the individuals were given a 14-day period from the date of the compound to pay up their fines at Kuching division health office.
He stressed that police will not hesitate to take stern action against those who violate the standard operating procedure (SOP) during the RMCO in order to break the infection chain of the Covid-19 virus.
This was in accordance with Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s warning that police would no longer issue warnings but would immediately take action against those caught breaching the recovery movement control order (MCO).
It is therefore hoped that the public will continue to observe the orders issued by the government during the RMCO period and comply with the social distancing to curb the spread of the virus.
