Pahang police chief Abd Jalil Hassan said the police would close the rat trails to Kuantan completely during this period, using concrete barriers and barbed wire, including oil palm routes in Felda Neram, which are routes from Terengganu.

He said that roadblocks will be mounted in six locations on main routes into and out of the district, including Tanjung Lumpur, Kampung Chendor, Gambang and the Pekan-Kuantan route.

“Compound notices will be automatically issued to those crossing the border without permission, without compromise, because announcements on the EMCO had been made, and in view of the drastic hike in Covid-19 cases in Kuantan,” he said.

“Mobile patrols will conduct periodical monitoring at rat trails to ensure there is no attempt to enter or leave the EMCO areas,” he said.

He said the leave of officers and police personnel, especially at Kuantan district police headquarters was still frozen. About 60 officers and personnel from Pahang state headquarters had been seconded to Kuantan as the authorities required a 300-strong force daily for various assignments.

Five housing areas in Gau, Temerloh, will also be placed under the EMCO from midnight tonight.

Taking a lesson from the “disappearance” of about 200 residents at Taman Tanah Putih Baru on May 5 prior to a lockdown, he said: “This time around, the police will not compromise. Those detected to have left their house to avoid the EMCO will be compounded even if they return home to surrender to the police.