This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on March 31, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has ordered that Menara City One in Jalan Munshi Abdullah here be placed under an enhanced movement control order (EMCO) — its third such directive since the first issued last Thursday — after the condominium reported 17 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

“Taking into account the number of cases, the government, on the health minister’s advice, has decided to implement the third imposition of the enhanced movement control order,” Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a statement yesterday.

The two-week EMCO, effective from midnight tonight to April 13, 2020, will affect 3,200 residents in 502 residential units and business premises.

Ismail Sabri said the EMCO is imposed to curb Covid-19 from being transmitted outside of the building.

“This move will enable case detection activities to be done on each of the units [in the condominium] over the 14-day period.”

Similar to the EMCOs announced previously, all residents in the condominium are barred from leaving their units during the EMCO.

Non-residents and visitors are not allowed to enter the area during this period, while all business activities will be suspended.

However, residents are allowed to order food that can be delivered to the main lobby of the building.

“To ensure compliance of this order, the Royal Malaysia Police, the Malaysian Armed Forces, the Malaysia Civil Defence Force and the People’s Volunteer Corps will control the entire area,” Ismail Sabri said.

“For the implementation of this order, all residents should remain calm and give full cooperation to the ministry of health personnel as well as to follow orders from the authorities.”

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