TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Malaysia reports highest-ever daily COVID-19 rise, total tops 1 milion
Health authorities recorded 17,045 new infections, bringing the total to 1,013,438, with 7,994 deaths.
Change Size
People wearing protective masks cross a street, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia December 17, 2020. (REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng)
M
alaysia on Sunday reported its highest ever daily rise in COVID-19 cases, with the cumulative number of infections with the novel coronavirus topping 1 million for the first time.
Health authorities recorded 17,045 new infections, bringing the total to 1,013,438, with 7,994 deaths.
On June 28, the government extended its lockdown for an indefinite period, but the spread of infections has not stopped, especially in the Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area, Kyodo News reported.
It has said lockdown rules will only be eased when daily COVID-19 cases fall below a weekly average of 4,000 and hospitals have more space to treat patients.
Read also: Malaysia needs more than a ‘hammer’ to combat COVID-19
The parliament is scheduled to resume for the first time in about seven months on Monday, but the administration of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has been criticized for failing to control the pandemic.
Meanwhile, South Korea said on Sunday it will tighten social distancing rules across most of the country this week, warning that its worst-ever COVID-19 wave might spread further in the summer holiday season.
The curbs will be increased to Level 3 on a four-level scale, which will mean a 10 p.m. dining curfew and ban on gatherings of more than four people, from Tuesday for two weeks for most areas except for some small counties.
"What's most concerning is the virus' recent spread in the non-capital areas," President Moon Jae-in told an intra-agency meeting reviewing efforts in the campaign against the coronavirus, Reuters reported.
"There has been an increase in movements nationwide, especially around vacation spots."
South Korea managed to largely avoid major COVID-19 outbreaks with an extensive testing and tracing campaign for the first year of the pandemic.
But the latest spikes in infections have dented public confidence even though there have been relatively few critical cases and deaths.
The government early this month imposed the toughest Level 4 curbs, which include a ban on gatherings of more than two people after 6 p.m., in the capital Seoul and neighbouring areas.
Read also: South Korea sends team to tackle coronavirus on antipiracy ship
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Sunday reported 1,487 cases for Saturday, the highest increase recorded on any weekend.
South Korea's total infections have risen to 188,848, with 2,073 deaths.
