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KUALA LUMPUR – All of Malaysia except Sarawak will be placed under the curbs of Covid-19, and six more states will be under the motion control order from Friday (January 22) following an increase in the number of coronavirus cases there.
The states are Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Terengganu, and Perlis.
“Following the advice of the Ministry of Health, we have decided to enforce the MCO in these states until February 4,” Chief Minister in charge of Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday (January 19).
The country registered a total of 3,631 new cases on Tuesday, marking the sixth consecutive day of more than 3,000 infections. There were 14 deaths. The total number of infections now stands at 165,371, with a death toll of 619.
Another minister tested positive for the virus, amid allegations that cabinet members have been disobeying MCO rules.
National Unity Minister Halimah Mohamed Sadique of the ruling Umno party was confirmed positive on Tuesday.
“Datuk Halimah will now be treated and quarantined according to instructions. His condition will be monitored by the health authorities in Johor Baru, ”the ministry said in a statement.
“While under quarantine, the minister will continue to monitor the affairs of the Ministry of National Unity to ensure that all activities run smoothly.”
She is the fifth cabinet minister to test positive for the virus.
A news report on Sunday highlighted a delegation across the country led by a high-ranking minister and other leaders of the ruling Perikatan Nasional at various events involving large gatherings.
“This has clearly violated … the ban on government and private agency meetings involving representatives of external agencies, as well as the ban on events involving many people in the areas under MCO command,” said the chief. of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir. it said in a statement.
He did not give names, but is believed to have been referring to a visit by Chief Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali and his entourage from Selangor to Johor.
“This is not the first time a minister has violated standard operating procedures (SOPs); There have been many examples since the inception of the MCO when ministers appear to be immune from legal action. The action against the minister was only taken after people made a scandal and his SOP violations were highlighted on social media, ”he added.
Umno deputy Nazri Aziz also tested positive on Tuesday after being in contact with a Covid-19 patient who attended his press conference on January 12.
The government is also considering extending restaurant closing hours to 10 p.m. starting at 8 p.m., after #Sibodohkaudengarsini (Hey, stupid listen) became a trending hashtag on Twitter this week.
Netizens who weren’t happy with restaurants closing too early during the MCO, which started on January 13 in five states and federal territories, used the hashtag to express their frustrations.
The original Malay tweet that started the discussion was from Twitter user yarafaee_, who posted on Sunday: “Hey stupid, listen here. With business hours from 11 a.m. M. At 8 p. M., All Malaysia orders only between those hours. Do you know that Foodpanda / Grab apps always hang because of this? People coming back from work don’t have time to cook because they have to go back to work the next morning. “
His post, which was in response to another user who asked Malaysians not to complain for the shorter hours and to simply order their food the day before, was shared 17,500 times and was liked by about 25,000 users.
Since then, the hashtag has sparked some 64,000 tweets as of Tuesday.
“Never mess with Malaysians when it comes to food and when they are hungry,” tweeted user Aaron Denison.
Datuk Seri Ismail said the National Security Council and the Health Ministry would discuss the issue.
“It is that, if we allow restaurants to open until 10 at night, other sectors will also ask that they be allowed to operate until 10 at night … Once we make a decision, it will be announced,” he said.
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