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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will tighten COVID-19 restrictions starting on Wednesday (January 13), Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a renewed effort to combat the alarming increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.
In a televised speech on Monday, Muhyiddin said that five states, including Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Johor, and Sabah, and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, will once again be under the Movement Control Order (MCO) for two weeks until January 26.
Interstate travel is prohibited across the country, while interdistrict travel is not allowed for states under the MCO, he added.
“To avoid (travel) between states and districts, the roadblocks will be enforced from 12:01 am Wednesday,” Muhyiddin said, adding that the movement was limited to a 10 km radius for states under MCO.
The country’s health system is at a breaking point, the prime minister said.
“The current situation is certainly very alarming. Our healthcare system is under tremendous pressure now than at any time since the start of the pandemic. As I have said before, unprecedented situations call for unprecedented measures,” he added.
The recent daily four-digit jump in cases brought the national total to more than 135,000, with more than 550 deaths. On Monday, 2,232 new cases brought the total active cases to 28,554.
Two cabinet ministers were also hospitalized for COVID-19 in the past three days.
Residents register for coronavirus tests at a private hospital in Sunway, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 7, 2020 (Photo: AP / Vincent Thian).
In his speech, Muhyiddin said that six other states – Pahang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan – will be placed under the conditional MCO (CMCO), while Perlis and Sarawak are under the recovery MCO (RMCO).
He added that social activities such as wedding banquets, conferences, religious gatherings, seminars, courses and mass sports are not allowed.
STUDENTS AND EXAMINATION CANDIDATES PERMITTED TO ATTEND SCHOOL
While there are strict movement restrictions, an exception would be provided for students and exam candidates, including those taking the Certificate of Education Malaysia (SPM) exams in 2020 and 2021.
“They will be allowed to attend school with strict standard operating procedures (SOPs). The Ministry of Education will give more details about SOPs,” he said.
The government has also identified five sectors that are authorized to operate and categorized as essential economic sectors, which are manufacturing, construction, services, trade and distribution, and plantation and commodities, the prime minister added.
Muhyiddin also announced that the third phase of clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines will take place on January 21 at nine ministry hospitals. A total of 3,000 volunteers will participate.
In addition, the country is expected to receive supplies of the first phase of Pfizer vaccines by the end of February.
“These next two weeks are very important not only for us, but for the country.
“All the forms of freedom that we have sacrificed – cutting off connection with friends, isolating ourselves at home, and having difficulty engaging in social activities outdoors – can save our lives,” Muhyiddin said.
READ: IN FOCUS – Long-term school closings in Malaysia due to COVID-19 revolutionize the learning experience
Malaysia enforced the MCO as of March 18 last year, ordering business closures and travel restrictions in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
SOPs were gradually relaxed when MCO was replaced by CMCO and then RMCO. It allowed the reopening of more businesses and the resumption of tourist activities, among others.
People wearing protective masks on a train in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct.30, 2020 (File Photo: REUTERS / Lim Huey Teng)
However, new cases began to rise in September with new clusters detected in the state of Sabah, marking the start of Malaysia’s “third wave”.
In mid-October, Sabah and the federal territory of Labuan were again under CMCO status, and Selangor and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya soon followed suit.
On October 25, the Malaysian ruler rejected Muhyiddin’s suggestion to declare a state of emergency in the country over the COVID-19 situation. However, the emergency was subsequently invoked in Batu Sapi and Bugaya in Sabah, as well as in Gerik in Perak, to delay the by-elections that were to take place in these electoral districts.
On January 7, a record 3,027 cases were reported.
Health Ministry Director General Noor Hisham Abdullah said last week that Malaysia’s COVID-19 quarantine and treatment facilities were being pushed to a “breaking point.” He also said authorities were considering the potential of implementing home quarantines for asymptomatic and low-risk COVID-19 patients.
While Malaysia’s bed capacity for COVID-19 patients is 23,000, active cases have exceeded 28,000 today.
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