Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has announced another round of lockdowns across the nation from Wednesday till Jan. 26 amid spikes in daily COVID-19 infections.
Parts of Malaysia will enter lockdowns of various levels, with Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Labuan, Sabah, Johor, and Melaka to be placed under the stricter Movement Control Order, or MCO, while many other parts will be under the more relaxed Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) or Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO).
Pahang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu and Kelantan will be under CMCO, while Perlis and Sarawak will be under RMCO.
Those under MCO are not allowed to travel further than 10 kilometers from home and only two people are allowed to go out for provisions like groceries – this is one more than previously. Those under CMCO are not allowed to travel interstate or inter-district without a police permit and attend large gatherings. Nightlife activities and traveling out of the country are not allowed under RMCO.
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“Based on discussions with the Health and Security Ministries, the government will begin a round of MCO for 14 days, from 12am on Wednesday until Jan. 26,” the 73-year-old said in a live address to the nation.
“Social activities like weddings, seminars, and celebrations like Chinese New Year and Thaipusam are forbidden,” he added. “Employees are encouraged to let their staff work from home.”
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Eateries and restaurants in areas under MCO will continue to operate for takeaways only. Students are only allowed to attend schools for major exams.
Malaysia has recorded more than 138,000 COVID-19 infections and 542 deaths since the outbreak in February. Cases have grown to the thousands each day, with a new daily record of 3,027 on Thursday. A total of 2,232 cases were reported today.
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