“I will leave it to the discretion of the police but when we say no more interstate travel, we mean it. We have repeatedly said you cannot go back for Raya [Eid] and many still attempted to do so.”

On Friday the minister said the ban – needed to prevent the coronavirus from spreading into previously uninfected areas, particularly in rural states – had prompted an even larger exodus as “many tried to take advantage and attempted to cross last night before summons are issued”.

Thousands of Malaysians have ignored the directive and attempted to travel to their hometowns to celebrate the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan anyway. A reported 5,000 cars were turned back from police roadblocks between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meanwhile, coronavirus cases in Malaysia have seen an upward trend over the last few days, recording 78 new cases on Friday and one more death, bringing the total to 5,859 cases and 115 deaths. The increase has been attributed to a new cluster found amongst foreign nationals detained in an immigration raid.

The official holiday period for Eid, which begins on Saturday evening, is two days, lasting Sunday and Monday. However, it is common for Malaysians to celebrate for a week or even fortnight.

Ismail said some travellers had been caught trying to use back roads or old trunk roads – more frequently used by large vehicles transporting goods – to dodge the police. He warned such tactics would not work.

“Police will still be able to find you. It doesn’t mean you can get away with it. We might still be able to get you on the way back to Kuala Lumpur,” he said in a televised address.

Can Malaysia cope with a ‘triple whammy’ economic shock?

Eid celebrations in Malaysia have traditionally been marked with a mass exodus of people from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and encircling state Selangor – the nation’s economic heart – to the rural areas of the country.

Congestion and traffic jams lasting hours are typical, with highway authorities usually introducing staggered departure times for travellers to control the chaos.

This year, however, with Malaysia still under a nationwide partial lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Eid is likely to be a far more muted affair. The government has said that even family celebrations – if held at all – should remain small and be limited to the first day of Eid.

Such gatherings have been limited to 20 people and the police and army have been tasked with making door-to-door visits to ensure that social distancing and headcount limitations are followed.

The Malaysian Health Coalition, a collective of several health-related NGOs and medical professionals, said despite the relaxation of some measures it urged residents to continue physical distancing, avoid returning to their hometowns and avoid visiting non-family members.

“While certain restrictions may have been lifted … we urge everyone to celebrate with members of your own household only. Limits on the number of visitors are highly relative and subjective,” it warned.

“We are fortunate that we are living during a time when technology is advanced enough to do uninterrupted video calls across state and national borders so we can keep in virtual touch with parents and relatives. For this year, during this pandemic only, we should keep our distance and stay away physically from our aged relatives to protect them,” said coalition member and paediatrician Zulkifli Ismail.

Coronavirus Malaysia: lockdown leaves migrants isolated

Malaysia’s lockdown, which began in mid-March, has required residents to remain home except to access health care or buy supplies. Businesses have also shut, with only essential services allowed to operate.

This month the government relaxed some of the toughest measures and began opening up the economy, citing rising unemployment and flagging domestic consumption.

The nation’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak has earned widespread praise for reversing the fortunes of what was at one point the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia.

Cases have now tapered off, with the nation recording just 50 new infections on Thursday – a far cry from the hundreds recorded daily in March. There have been 114 deaths.