Essential services to carry on, says PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Haze Emergency has been declared indefinitely for the entire Kuala Selangor and Port Klang areas from yesterday, the Government announced.

All workplaces are to remain closed except for essential services, food retailers and supermarkets.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the emergency status was declared only for the two areas where the Air Pollutant Index breached the 500 mark.

Abdullah declared the emergency at 5pm, two hours after the API showed a reading of 500 in the two areas.

Read more on the haze crisis.

Below are Guidelines for haze emergency as issued by The Star

THE guidelines on actions to be taken under the Haze Emergency – issued by the Internal Security Division of the Prime Minister’s Department – compels the state disaster management and assistance committee to:

1. Order the closure of all offices, government and private, and other workplaces including factories, farms, construction sites and quarries. The order is not enforced for stores that sell food and drinks; markets and supermarkets; clinics, pharmacies and drugstores; and essential services.

2. Ensure earth works and movements are stopped.

3. Advise the people to reduce use of private transportation.

4. Close all schools.

5. Ensure information on the pollution index is given to electronic and print media as frequent as possible.

6. Urge the media to advise people to always stay indoors as well as on preventive actions they should take.

7. Ensure the Information Ministry continually broadcasts the above information.

8. Enforce the ban on open burning.

9. Ensure the order on haze emergency does not involve a declaration of curfew (except for situations under provisions of laws that require it).