A total of 123 individuals were issued compounds while 12 were remanded for defying the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) yesterday, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said among the offences committed were activities that hampered physical distancing difficult (55 individuals); activities in pubs or nightclubs (37), failure to provide notification of exits and entries (30), not wearing face masks (five) while one individual failed to comply with quarantine directives.

"Yesterday, the police conducted 459 inspections on individuals undergoing the 14-day mandatory quarantine at their respective homes and had taken action against an individual for failing to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs)," he said in a statement on developments of the RMCO today.

On Op Benteng, he said police had mounted 62 roadblocks nationwide and inspected 28,272 vehicles to curb the entry of illegal immigrants, especially along rat trails.

"The police detained five foreigners for committing immigration offences. The government will take stern action against any party who attempts to enter the country's borders illegally and enforcement agencies will continue to tighten border control," he said.

Meanwhile, from July 24 until Aug 22, a total of 15,866 individuals returned home from abroad were placed in 67 hotels and five Public Training Institutes in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Johor, Sarawak, Kelantan, Perak, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu and Labuan.

Of this total, 7,740 people are undergoing the mandatory quarantine, 43 individuals were sent to the hospital for treatment and 8,083 were discharged and allowed home.

"They returned from 32 countries namely the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, India, UAE (United Arab Emirates), Japan, Turkey, South Korea, Iran, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Timor Leste, Taiwan, China, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Egypt, Spain, France, Australia, New Zealand and the United States," he said.

Ismail Sabri said enforcement officers from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) also conducted 1,302 special RMCO SOP compliance checks and found that 1,288 premises complied with SOPs, while 14 premises were advised to do so.

"Throughout the RMCO period, the government would like to urge operators and the public to always practise self-restraint including physical distancing and personal hygiene, especially while conducting sale and purchase activities," he said.

-- BERNAMA