SEREMBAN: The move to amend the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act to provide stiffer penalties for individuals who flout Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) should be reconsidered, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

       The Umno deputy president described the proposed amendments, which include punishing individuals who violate the SOP with a maximum compound of RM50,000 from the current RM1,000 and increasing the jail term from six months to seven years, as highly unreasonable.

       “The proposed amendments to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1998 or Act 342 should be re-examined, especially when the Bill does not include guidelines for issuing compounds.

       “The director-general’s reasoning that it will be finalised after the law is passed is not in line with the objective of this amendment,” he said in a statement yesterday.

       Mohamad said no law should be passed without details explained for the consideration of the legislature.“This is important as there had been cases of preferential treatment. Common people were unreasonably compounded. But influential people were lightly fined,” he said.On Tuesday, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said firms and organisations that flout the Covid-19 SOP could be fined up to RM500,000 when a proposed amendment to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 was tabled in Parliament.