KUALA LUMPUR (March 17): Members of the public should look at the movement control order announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday in a positive light, and ensure that their activities are in line with the objective of containing the COVID-19 outbreak.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) deputy president Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman said, as such, the public should restrict their outdoor activities and avoid panic buying.

He said the objective of restricting outdoor activities is to prevent (direct) contact with other people.

“In the current situation, the public should stay at home, if they need to go to the shop, it should only be to buy essential items,” he told Bernama.

Mohd Yusof said people should not take advantage of the movement control order by going out for recreation as the order was meant to stop the spread of the virus.

He also advised traders not to take advantage of the situation by increasing the price of goods.

“The supply chain should be unchanged because so far the movement of goods is not restricted. This means that the price of goods should not increase. Traders should play their part to ensure adequate supply as in the current situation, users cannot travel far,” he said.

Yesterday, Muhyiddin declared that the country was implementing a nationwide movement control order from March 18 to March 31 to curb COVID-19.

Meanwhile, consumer association Pertubuhan Mesra Pengguna Malaysia (PMPM) deputy president Azlin Othman said the order was an opportunity for the relevant bodies to assist the government’s efforts.

“The parties involved could carry out a cleaning and disinfecting exercise in government offices, schools, nurseries, tertiary institutes, houses of worship and business premises which will not be operating during the 14 days,” she said.

Azlin also called on sellers not to take advantage of the situation by selling hand sanitisers and face masks at exorbitant prices.

“As preventive measures, the big supermarkets should also clean their trolleys and baskets every day, as well as provide hand sanitisers.

“The public are advised to always abide by the preventive and hygiene measures to get correct information from reliable sources,” she said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) chief activist Datuk Nadzim Johan recommended that each community make the necessary preparation for the the two-week order period.

“We must have a plan to improve ourselves, such as by exercising at home,” he said.

"There should be new schedules for the family because the daily routine might change, but that does not mean that we should be wasting our time,” he said.