Covid-19: MCO Areas ‘Essential Services’ list expanded; Sibu to undergo CMCO *Update No.6*

The Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within Infected Local Areas) (Movement Control) (No. 2) (Amendment) (No. 6) Regulations 2021 (‘MCO No. 2 Amendment No. 6 Regulations’) and the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within Infected Local Areas) (Conditional Movement Control) (No. 2) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2021 (‘CMCO No. 2 Amendment No. 4 Regulations’) were gazetted on 11 February 2021.
 
MCO No. 2 Amendment No. 6 Regulations
 
The MCO No. 2 Amendment No. 6 Regulations replaced the First and Second Schedules of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within Infected Local Areas) (Movement Control) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 (‘MCO No. 2 Regulations’) which set out a list of infected local areas and a list of essential services respectively.
 
The substituting First Schedule of the MCO No. 2 Amendment No. 6 Regulations, which came into operation on 15 February 2021, remains substantially similar to the original Schedule except the Division of Sibu in the State of Sarawak has been removed from the list of infected local areas that are subjected to a Movement Control Order.
 
The substituting Second Schedule of the MCO No. 2 Amendment No. 6 Regulations, which came into operation on 12 February 2021, replaces “creative content development in studio including film editing” in item 31 with “creative content development”. The updated Second Schedule is available here.
 
CMCO No. 2 Amendment No. 4 Regulations
 
The CMCO No. 2 Amendment No. 4 Regulations substitute the First Schedule of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures Within Infected Local Areas) (Conditional Movement Control) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 with effect from 15 February 2021. It now provides that the whole of the State of Sarawak, including the Division of Sibu, is subjected to a Conditional Movement Control Order from 15 February 2021 to 1 March 2021.
 
Comments
 
The list of essential services has been expanded yet again to aid economic productivity. The amendment of item 31 of the Second Schedule of MCO No. 2 Regulations means that the creation of creative content outdoors, including filming, will now be permitted.
 
The division of Sibu in the State of Sarawak is now subjected to the less stringent Conditional Movement Control Order after the number of Covid-19 cases in that area has stabilised.
 
The further relaxation of the restrictions under the movement control orders is a sign of the Malaysian Government’s growing confidence that the recent wave of new Covid-19 cases is under control.  
 
Notes
 
Our earlier Alerts on the MCO Regulations and the CMCO Regulations are available here, here, here, here, here and here.
 
Alert prepared by Tan Wei Liang (Associate) and Tai Kean Lynn (Associate) of Skrine.