Malaysia in lockdown: Only 2 per household allowed out from Tuesday
Country to shutter malls and most factories under two-week lockdown starting tomorrow
KUALA LUMPUR Most of Malaysia's malls and factories will be shut during the tough two-week lockdown that begins tomorrow.
People will be restricted to a 10km radius from their homes and only two people from each household can go out for essential items - which include groceries and medicines - and services, such as healthcare and banking, said Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday.
He said only 17 essential sectors will be allowed to operate during the lockdown.
Under the new standard operating procedures (SOP), all sectors that are allowed to operate can open from 8am to 8pm.
Food and beverage businesses will continue to operate under existing restrictions, which limit them to takeaways or deliveries from 8am to 8pm.
"There is no curfew, but I hope no one will be outside after 8pm because there will be no economic activity after that time," he said during the joint briefing with the country's health chief, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
Dr Noor Hisham said Malaysia may be able to flatten the Covid-19 curve in three to four months but will require cooperation from the public to adhere to the SOP.
He said an accelerated vaccination drive would also be vital to slow the infection curve.
Dr Noor Hisham said with the rise of new variants of concern (VOC), the two-week lockdown was necessary to reduce the number of cases and give front-liners much needed breathing room.
He added it was a cause for concern that the Health Ministry had recently received information from Vietnam, which has detected a new VOC - a hybrid of the variants from India and Britain.
"The new variants are concerning as they cause more infections and deaths," he said.
"We must ramp up vaccinations and in June, we will be able to use over 10 million doses. This is necessary for us to do."
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told a virtual news briefing yesterday that the country is planning to set up more mega vaccination centres and get private doctors to join immunisation efforts.
It set up another five mega vaccination centres around Kuala Lumpur and is considering two in Penang and Johor.
The government will also train general practitioners to administer vaccines, said Mr Khairy. - THE STRAITS TIMES, THE STAR, REUTERS