A popular hiking spot on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur has been ordered shut from tomorrow after hundreds of hikers flocked there over the weekend.
Broga Hill in Semenyih will be closed until further notice, more than a week after relaxed COVID-19 rules allowed recreational activities like hiking to resume.
“The closure will be enforced on June 27 until a period which will be announced later,” Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah told the press yesterday.
He also urged the public not to let their guard down and continue to abide by social distancing measures so as to prevent further outbreaks in the country.
The decision came days after Kamarul Izlan, who oversees the area, said he did not expect hundreds of visitors to flock to the hill. Kamarul represents the Kajang Municipal Council, which is in charge of the Semenyih district.
“We did not expect so many hikers would come and perhaps it is due to hiking activities being allowed now during the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO),” he was quoted as saying.
“The place (Broga Hill) has always been popular with hikers before this, so they definitely took the opportunity to visit last weekend.”
A photo showing hundreds of hikers at the hill was posted to the Hiking And Recreation Around Malaysia Facebook group on Monday. User Yati Azri had described the entrance to the place as “jammed.”
The National Security Council had said that hiking and other recreational activities were allowed to resume on June 15. Monitors were deployed on the ground to ensure social distancing, temperature checks, and track visitors’ details.
Premises that violate the standard operating procedure may be ordered shut until further notice. Individual offenders face a maximum fine of RM1,000 (US$230) and six months’ jail.
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