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KUALA LUMPUR – Almost all of Malaysia’s economic sectors will reopen starting Monday (May 4) but must meet strict conditions, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Friday (May 1), as the country relaxes its movement brakes after more than six weeks of a partial block to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“After holding a meeting (with relevant agencies), we are ready to open up the economy,” he said in a televised speech on May 1.
Malaysia first imposed the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18.
“As of May 4, almost all economic sectors will be allowed to open with conditions. This is important since business and work are sources of income. If we are under MCO for too long, we will not obtain any income and this it will have a bad impact on your finances, “he added.
Economic sectors that involve large gatherings of people will still remain closed, he said.
The Prime Minister said that the third largest economy in Southeast Asia suffered RM2.4 billion (S $ 800 million) in daily losses during the MCO, with total losses currently estimated at RM63 billion. And another RM35 billion will have to be added if the MCO is expanded.
“I realize that everyone is concerned. I am also concerned, and in some nations as well, when the blockade ended, the number of Covid-19 positive cases increased exponentially.
“We must find ways to balance between healing the nation’s economy and tackling Covid-19.
“Based on the advice of the Ministry of Health and the data collected, and the best practice guideline stipulated by the World Health Organization, the government has decided to reopen the economic sectors with caution, by implementing strict standard operating procedures for cheers, from May 4 “. he said.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin announced the cautious reopening after Malaysia reported on Thursday (April 30) 16 consecutive days of new double-digit coronavirus cases, a far cry from the new three-digit cases per day in March and early April.
In addition, Malaysia has also recorded a high patient recovery rate of 69.5 percent.
On Tuesday, April 28, the director general of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, said that Malaysia is now in a “recovery phase” of the outbreak as the recovered patients have outnumbered the new cases.
The “conditional MCO” prohibits Malaysians from joining body contact activities such as soccer, rugby, swimming in public pools, mass religious gatherings, and Ramadan food bazaars.
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