300,000 People Have Applied To 'Gerak' Across The Country & Numbers Are Expected To Double
The dates for travel will only be announced after the government has reviewed the applications.
By May Vin Ang — 27 Apr 2020, 01:01 PM
Police have received about 300,000 applications on the Gerak Malaysia app within 12 hours after it went live
The app was launched yesterday, 26 April, for people stranded in their hometowns since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented on 18 March.
With the permits, they will now be allowed to travel back to their respective homes or places of work in other states.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigations Department (CID) director Huzir Mohamed said 100,000 of the 300,000 requests were for permits to travel interstate.
"We expect the total of applications to multiply by 1 May," he said in a statement yesterday, as quoted by New Straits Times.
Huzir guaranteed that only applications with valid reasons would be accepted
"In the meantime, police will monitor and review the application trends through Gerak Malaysia," he said, adding that the findings will be reviewed by the government to better schedule dates for the oncoming travel, according to Malay Mail.
Huzir also advised people to cooperate by applying to obtain the travel permits according to the prescribed valid reasons.
He hoped for the cooperation of all parties to ensure that the application system benefited those who need to travel interstate.
"Further developments on the interstate schedule would be announced later," he said.
The dates previously announced for travel was 1 to 3 May, but have since been retracted
According to The Star, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today, 27 April, clarified that they are still gathering data before a standard operating procedure (SOP) is announced.
"We will come up with a SOP after a meeting between the National Security Council (NSC), the police, and the Ministry of Health," he said.
"Allowing people stranded in kampungs to return to cities is not as straightforward as making arrangements for students stranded on campuses to return home."
Meanwhile, he added that those who wish to travel have until 1 May, not 29 April, to apply for permission through the Gerak Malaysia app or make an appointment at the nearest police station.
It was also emphasised by Ismail Sabri that the permits are not for those who wish to return to their hometowns for the month of Ramadan
Conveniences, such as eateries and the surau, will not be opened along the North-South Expressway (NSE) to prevent large gatherings of people in one place, and to curb the spread of COVID-19 infection.
Public toilets will be opened, while petrol stations will only operate from 6am to midnight.
