A total of 695 police reports nationwide have been lodged with regard to violations of the government’s Movement Control Order to contain COVID-19, which came into effect on March 18.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said that of the total, 28 related to non-compliance of the order, while the rest were still being investigated.

“The numbers prove that there still are individuals who are stubborn… if many remain stubborn, the COVID-19 pandemic will worsen and we may have to resort to other measures,” he said during the ‘Ruang Bicara’ programme on Bernama TV on Thursday.

On March 16, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had announced that the Movement Control Order would be enforced from March 18 to 31. Yesterday, he announced the extension of the order until April 14.

Hamzah also said that police had opened 94 investigation papers, with six cases referred to the court, while 80 cases were being investigated in connection with the dissemination of fake news on COVID-19.

-- BERNAMA