Home minister Hamzah Zainudin said the approvals were for applications involving deaths, emergencies and from self-employed applicants.

He said the police also closed 118 backroads used by the public as alternative routes to cross districts and states before this.

“Checks on major highways nationwide also found that the traffic flow decreased to around 500,000 vehicles a day compared to 1.3 million vehicles a day before the movement control order (MCO 3.0) came into force,” he told a virtual press conference here today.

Meanwhile, he said police and related agencies are conducting about 85,000 daily inspections since the total lockdown was implemented.

Almost 35,000 premises have been inspected nationwide, including supermarkets, restaurants, factories and other places allowed to operate.

Some 3,514 compound notices have been issued up to June 4 for SOP violations, including 117 against corporations or business entities, while 163 people have been detained, he said.