GEORGE TOWN: Only a designated number of foreigners will be allowed to “walk in” to vaccination centres (PPV) for their Covid-19 jabs starting today, say police.

       Citing an example, Penang police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said they would allow only 500 foreigners if there were 500 doses of vaccine available at the PPV.

       “Once these numbers have been given out, others in line will be asked to leave.

       “Failure to do so would mean that we will have to enforce the law,” he said, adding that the situation in the state had been under control so far.

       He told reporters this after conducting an outreach programme on standard operating procedure (SOP) compliance at Gurney Plaza, Miami beach and Shamrock beach in Batu Ferringhi yesterday.

       It was earlier reported that foreigners could walk in daily to any of the four PPV from 2pm onwards, beginning today.

       They are Setia SPICE Convention Centre on the island; Dewan Milenium, SP Arena and Dewan Sungai Bakap on the mainland.

       Comm Shuhaily also said police were keeping a close eye on public premises until Sunday and would advise the relevant agencies to close these areas if the public did not adhere strictly to the SOP.

       “I believe many people will take leave on Friday to enjoy a long weekend.

       “If there is a need for public safety, we will ask the relevant authorities to close the premises for fear of a potential Covid-19 outbreak.

       “My men will record videos and take pictures as proof before deciding if we should continue opening public places,” he said.

       He said cases were currently sporadic and as such, the source of a case could be unknown.

       “The number of Covid-19 cases in Penang is still high and we are still at four digits.

       “The number of brought-in-dead (BID) is also quite high and we recorded 29 BID this week.

       “Although many sectors have reopened, we must continue to adhere to the SOP.

       “I hope everyone will continue to play their role by following the SOP strictly,” Comm Shuhaily said, adding that there was an increase in the number of vehicles and people on the road last weekend.

       He said checks on several hotspots in Penang yesterday revealed there was no overcrowding.

       He said spot checks were carried out following a sudden influx of people at public areas last weekend.

       “At the moment, our approach is to advise the public. We can take stern action by issuing compounds but we understand many are affected economically by the pandemic.

       “We will have to be strict if the number of cases continue to rise,” Comm Shuhaily said.