"Please take a day off every day and not just on weekends."

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has this reminder to all Malaysians following the increase in arrests of individuals in violation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) on Sunday.

He said a total of 554 people were detained in roadblocks and patrols by police on Sunday, which contributed to a 51 per cent increase.

The people, he added, should not only think of Sunday as a holiday and take the opportunity to go out without any valid reasons.

“It was a Sunday (yesterday) and probably many took the opportunity to come out on Sunday.

“I hope everyone would take a break every day and not just on weekends.

"Please do not take the opportunity to go out in public on Sunday," he told a media conference in Putrajaya today.

As there were many who violated the MCO, more stringent actions and checks were imposed by the police.

Police action was also driven by the increasing number of COVID-19 positive cases announced by the Ministry of Health.

“Police has begun to take sterner action. Therefore, do not disobey the orders and directives under the MCO.

"Police will not hesitate to take more decisive action against those who still defy the MCO," he said.

On Sunday, he said police with the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) had set up 743 roadblocks nationwide and inspected 293,051 vehicles.

A total of 25,818 surprise inspections were also conducted nationwide with 4,822 premises being checked by the authorities.