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Malaysia decides against lockdown despite surge in COVID-19 cases
Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who coordinates the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions in the country, said in a press conference other measures will be implemented, including shortened business hours and requiring millions of more people to work from home.
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A policeman checks documents at a roadblock on the East Coast Expressway (Kuala Lumpur–Karak) during a partial lockdown set by authorities restricting travel within each state and district to curb the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, ahead of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in Bentong on May 11, 2021. (AFP/Mohd. Rasfan)
Malaysia on Saturday decided against a nationwide lockdown despite daily COVID-19 cases hitting more than 6,000 this week.
Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who coordinates the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions in the country, said in a press conference other measures will be implemented, including shortened business hours and requiring millions of more people to work from home.
Malaysia recorded 6,320 new cases in the past 24 hours with 50 fatalities on Saturday, the fourth consecutive day where daily cases in the country of 32 million people notched above 6,000.
The surge in infections has prompted calls for a total lockdown like the one in March last year when coronavirus infections topped 100 cases. However, industry groups who met with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday opposed a complete lockdown, citing concerns over the impact on the economy.
In a joint press conference Saturday with Director General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah, Ismail said the government decided against a total lockdown because "we want to balance health interest and people's livelihoods. During the first lockdown, the country's economy suffered 2.4 billion ringgit ($580 million) in losses a day."
He added that 800,000 people lost their jobs last year.
Starting next Tuesday, malls, restaurants and bazaars can open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. instead of the current operating hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Public transport will have to reduce their capacity by half, while 80 percent of civil servants and 40 percent from the private sector must work from home.
While a complete lockdown has been avoided, Hisham urged the public to practice self-lockdowns for at least two weeks to give the health care sector breathing space to stockpile equipment and medicine.
"We need to break the chain so that hospitals can accommodate more patients that are expected in the coming days," he said.
He stressed that intensive care units throughout the country have reached over 90 percent capacity, and in Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding territory, ICU capacity has hit 113 percent, forcing hospitals to convert other wards into ICUs.
The country has logged 505,115 cases and 2,199 deaths, according to data by Johns Hopkins University.
