A total of 11 people, most of whom were expats, were arrested in Mont Kiara by police for flouting the Movement Control Order by jogging in public areas. The arrests took place on Friday, March 27.
Police Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim stated the 11 suspects were detained while jogging during a routine morning patrol around Jalan Mont Kiara and Jalan Desa Kiara between 7.30 and 9.30am. Concerned citizens had posted images and videos to social media, wondering why residents in the area felt it was acceptable to ignore the MCO.
Of the 11 joggers arrested, nine were expats and two were Malaysians. Mazlan noted the nationalities were varied, including one British, one American, four Japanese, two South Koreans, and one Indian.
In a statement, Mazlan added, “Those arrested refused to heed to police warnings and advice, while providing unreasonable excuses as to why they were outdoors.”
This isn’t the first conflict between authorities and joggers, as there seems to be a lack of clarity on whether the MCO is intended to encourage physical distancing between people or to serve as more of a fully fledged “stay in your house” lockdown, unless you have a very good reason for being outside. This incident, along with a number of other arrests, suggests that the authorities view it as more of the latter.
In theory, jogging alone should not imperil any physical distancing initiatives, but logically, it truly seems as though it would be easier to just do your exercising at home during this MCO period and avoid issues such as these. It’s a challenging time for everyone, so it’s best to just do your part and stay inside. By flouting the MCO, you risk not only incurring the wrath of your neighbours and fellow netizens, but attracting unwanted police attention, as well.
Despite the MCO being in place for nearly two weeks, Covid-19 cases in Malaysia – as well as deaths – continue to steadily rise. This suggests the outbreak has not reached its peak here. As of Monday morning (March 30), the number of cases in Malaysia is 2,470, with 35 deaths.
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