Transportation of essential goods allowed to operate at full capacity, says FMFF

Logistics and transportation operators that have the approval from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to operate during the Movement Control Order (MCO) can operate at full capacity.

However, the relaxation is only allowed for the transportation of essential goods, according to Federation of Malaysian Freight Forwarders (FMFF) president Alvin Chua.

“Standard operating procedures [SoPs] are still in place for us to operate,” said Chua in his reply to a query from theedgemarkets.com.

Nearly 98% of the 1,300 members registered under the FMFF have now received approval to operate during the MCO,

“Nearly 98% [have been approved]. The Ministry of Transport [MoT] has been assisting to fast-track [the application process] for us, as our service is essential,” said Chua.

MITI minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali announced today that all economic sectors that have been allowed to operate during the MCO can start to operate at their full capacity starting tomorrow.

The minister explained that the decision was made at a National Security Council (NSC) meeting today, which saw recommendations by the Economic Action Council (EAC) being discussed following the latter’s own meeting yesterday.

The EAC had reviewed studies and recommendations put forward by the Ministry of Finance, MITI, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

Companies that have been granted permission to operate during the MCO have to adhere to the SOPs set by the government. Failing which, such businesses can see the immediate revocation of granted approvals as well as legal action.

As of April 15, the list of essential services stands for those in: water; energy,
security and defence; solid waste and public cleansing management and sewerage; communications and the Internet; banking and finance; e-commerce; transportation, port and airport services; fuel and lubricants; logistics confined to the provision of essential services; and hotels and accommodation.

Source: The Edge Markets