Hundreds of thousands of Malaysians risked the crowds in desperate bids to balik kampung as the clock began counting down last night to midnight. That is when the movement control order announced by the federal government officially comes into effect.
Chaos became the order of the day as many throng public transport terminals, police stations and the country’s borders, seeking to beat the clock.
Ironically, this is exactly what the government and health authorities are trying to avoid with the implementation of the partial shutdown measures - a form of intense social distancing steps - in order to slow the spread of Covid-19.
It did not help matters that one public varsity prematurely issued instructions to students on campus to vacate their rooms and leave, nor when police initially required the public to notify them on any inter-state travel plans.