KUALA LUMPUR: The army will be deployed to civilian areas beginning this Sunday to assist the police in managing and enforcing the Movement Control Order (MCO), which took effect on Wednesday, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri said. “The army will be deployed this Sunday and we believe with the help of the army, the people will obey the MCO,” he said. However, there are signs that Malaysians are beginning to heed the authorities’ advice to stay at home, Sabri said. Nevertheless, he added that there are still Malaysians who are not obeying the MCO, which was announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday. In response to criticisms on the government’s plan to deploy the army, Ismail explained that the government made the decision based on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).

Source: New Strait Times March 20, 2020 05:00 UTC