[ UPDATE 23/04/2020 20:39 ]: The MCO has been extended for another 2 weeks until 12 May 2020. More details here.
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Malaysia Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, will be addressing the nation this evening (23rd April) at 8pm. After 37 days under movement control order and with 5 days to go, the Prime Minister is expected to provide an update and there could be a possibility of another extension.
The special announcement will be streamed live at 8pm across multiple platforms including RTM, Bernama TV, TV3 and Astro Awani. The MCO had started on 18th March 2020 and it has been extended twice with an additional two weeks at a time.
There’s also a possibility that the government may lift restrictions for more sectors and gradually allowing movement of people for selected areas. Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had recently announced that those intend to travel interstate may apply for permission via Gerak Malaysia app. However, this move is still under study and they would need to consult with the relevant authorities including the Ministry of Health before giving the greenlight.
At the moment, the MCO appears to be effective in controlling the spread of COVID-19. As of yesterday, there are 5,532 cases with 93 deaths. Malaysia has been recording double-digit daily cases for 6 days straight and 62.4% of cases have recovered.
Recently, the Health director-general, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has highlighted 6 criteria that need to be fulfilled before we can lift the MCO. This includes the ability to control our borders, to control local infections, having sufficient capacity in our healthcare system, protecting high-risk groups, ensuring Malaysians practise social-distancing and good hygiene and to enable our communities to prevent further infections.
Singapore’s Circuit Breaker, which is the equivalent to our own MCO, has been extended until 1st June 2020. The island republic currently has the highest number of infections in Southeast Asia with over 11,178 cases and 12 deaths reported so far. Singapore has recorded 4-digit daily cases in the past few days.
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