MIRI: Patrons at entertainment outlets here who fail to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the government to curb the spread of Covid-19 will face stern action.
“Stern action awaits those flouting the SOPs and the police will not hesitate to take action,” said Miri police chief ACP Lim Meng Seah.
Lim added that there were still premises owners and patrons who disregard the ruling, especially on the requirement to practice social distancing.
“We don’t want another Covid-19 wave, so we prevent it by being more vigilant in observing the SOPs,” he said during a press conference held here recently.
At the same time, Lim added that there were still some entertainment outlets operating without licences.
During an operation carried out on Saturday morning at Simpang Ngu, Batu Niah, a police team raided a pub and rounded up 17 individuals, including seven Indonesia women working as guest relations officers (GROs).
The individuals, in which most were Indonesians and in their 20s to 40s, were detained at the Miri Central police station (CPS) and issued a compound of RM1,000 each, as stated in Regulation 11 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Regulations 2020.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the pub has been operating without a valid licence.
The owner of the outlet would also be investigated under Section 5(2) of the Entertainment Ordinance 2001 for failing to produce any legal documents to operate the business.
The individuals detained in the raid were also investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act for not possessing valid documents to enter Malaysia.
