There’s some confusion at the moment regarding MySejahtera scanning at the fuel pump and if it is a requirement before you carry out refuelling. Well, the answer is that it is compulsory, according to authorities we have spoken to.

Yesterday, news reports emerged quoting Bukit Aman CID deputy director DCP Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid as saying that that registering using the contact tracing service is mandatory even if you do not enter the station’s convenience store, where the QR code is usually placed.

“If the people do not register or scan, how will the police trace them if there are Covid-19 cases in the area?” he said. He explained that because petrol stations were public spaces with heavy human traffic, visitors were as such required to wear face masks, register for contact tracing, have their temperature scanned and use hand sanitisers.

UPDATE (1.55pm): The confusion over whether it is mandatory to scan the MySejahtera app when refuelling remains. While the police say there is a need, the Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) says there is no need to scan, as The Star reports. Both the MKN and CPRC cannot seem to confirm if a scan is mandatory – in the morning, it was yes, but both now cannot confirm if the move is compulsory. Looks like we have to wait to see if senior minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob says if it is necessary.

UPDATE: (4.55pm) At his non-health press briefing earlier, senior minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob finally cleared the air over the confusion. He said that there is no need to register or check-in when refueling if you are paying at the pump via credit card, and outlined what actions that needed registering for, and those that didn’t.

There is no need to scan the MySejahtera QR code or sign-in manually if you:

  • Pay for fuel with credit/debit card or an app such as Setel
  • Pay for fuel from outside the station’s convenience store (through the pigeonhole pay window)
  • Pump air in your vehicle’s tyres
  • Wash your car at an auto car wash (with payment made through car window)

However, you will need to scan the MySejahtera app or register manually if you:

  • Enter the shop to pay for fuel, purchase items or use the ATM
  • Use the toilet or surau
  • Send the car for service at the station
  • Wash your car at a manual car wash

This latest update supersedes all previous statements made by authorities, including the police. The headline of this story has also been edited to reflect the update.

Calls to both the National Security Council (MKN) and the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) regarding the matter earlier this morning reiterated that mandatory MySejahtera scanning is needed at the petrol station, even for pumping fuel.

The point is, once you enter any premises, it is a requirement to do a MySejahtera check-in. This means scanning if you’re going to be physically handling anything there, even if you’re just using the toilet or filling up air in your tyres.

This supersedes the response from an e-mail dated last month regarding a public enquiry on the need to scan before pumping fuel, in which the reply from the CPRC then was that there was no need to do so. It would seem that this is now outdated.

Meanwhile, the MKN said that even though it is not listed in the standard operating procedure (SOP), it is compulsory to perform a MySejahtera scan when entering any premises. If you are in the midst of refueling, and the cops show up to carry out a spot check, you could be fined RM1,000 for not having checked in, they said.

So, just scan in when you get to the petrol station – it’s the proper thing to do, given that the fight against Covid-19 is far from over.

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