Most of the Malaysian industrial sector will reopen from Monday (May 4) but they must abide by strict social distancing conditions, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said, as the country relaxes its partial lockdown of more than six weeks to stem the spread of the coronavirus. He said in a televised address on May Day that after holding a meeting (with relevant agencies), they are ready to open up the economy. Malaysia first imposed the movement control order (MCO) on March 18.
He also added that by the beginning of May 4, almost all economic sectors will be allowed to open with conditions. This is important as business and work are sources of income. If they are under MCO for too long, they will not get any income and this will have a bad impact on the finances.
The economic sectors that involve large gatherings of people will still remain shut, he said.
The Prime Minister said South-east Asia’s third-biggest economy suffered RM2.4 billion (S$800 million) in losses daily during the MCO, with total losses currently estimated at RM63 billion. And another RM35 billion will have to be added to this should the MCO be extended.
He said that based on advice from the Ministry of Health and based on collected data, and the best practice guide stipulated by the World Health Organisation, the government of Malaysia has decided to reopen economic sectors cautiously, by implementing stringent health standard operating procedures, beginning May 4.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin announced the cautious reopening after Malaysia on Thursday (April 30) reported 16 consecutive days of double-digit new coronavirus cases, a far cry from triple-digit new cases a day in March and early April. Additionally, Malaysia has also recorded a high patient recovery rate of 69.5 percent.
The Health Ministry’s director-general Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said that Malaysia is now in a “recovery phase” of the outbreak as recovered patients have outnumbered new cases.
The “conditional MCO” bars Malaysians from joining activities involving body contacts such as football, rugby, night clubs, entertainment outlets, swimming at public pools, religious mass gatherings, exhibitions and Ramadan food bazaars. However, most of the sports activities like outdoor badminton, tennis, jogging, cycling, golf, and running in small groups of not more than 10 are permitted. The restaurants are also allowed to operate but maintaining physical distancing is required.
The travel between Malaysia’s 13 states is banned except for work purposes. Muhyiddin also suggested that working couples to work alternate days to ensure that children are cared for.
Tags: Coronavirus, Malaysia, Malaysia lockdown
