M’sia govt’s decision to lift 10km travel restrictions while prohibiting inter-district travel sparks confusion among netizens

The 10km travel restriction no longer applies to all states in Malaysia, regardless of whether the states are under the movement control order (MCO), the conditional MCO, or the recovery MCO, said Malaysia’s Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri.

In a press conference on Tuesday (16 Feb), he said the 10km travel restriction is no longer relevant due to the resumption of more business sectors.

Previously under the MCO, the government announced a travel limit of 10km radius within an individual’s home.

The MCO will be extended to 4 March in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Penang.

Most other states, as well as the Federal Territories of Putrajaya and Labuan, have been placed under the conditional MCO from 19 Feb to 4 Mar.

Perlis has been placed under the recovery MCO from 19 February to 4 March.

However, Ismail Sabri said that inter-district and interstate travel are still prohibited in all states.

“This is because there was a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in December when we allowed interstate travel,” he explained when asked about the interstate travel restriction.

Netizens on Facebook have expressed confusion over the lifting of 10km travel restriction in the midst of an active inter-district travel ban, with several netizens asking the minister to publish a clear map to avoid authorities from penalising them.

Some other users called the inter-district travel ban “ridiculous” and “unnecessary” as it is causing them delays in travel to work and daily routine due to roadblocks in certain areas.

Commenters also noted that in certain states such as Penang, the cancellation of 10km travel limit would be pointless if inter-district travel restrictions are still imposed, as cross-district travel on the island is typically less than 10km.