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Six Selangor districts under strict movement curbs

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In bid to stop Covid spread, Malaysia is also banning annual "balik kampung" exodus for Hari Raya

KUALA LUMPUR: There will be no widespread lockdown, Malaysian Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday, instead announcing in a press conference that first tier strict movement curbs will be imposed on six out of nine districts in Selangor for 12 days starting tomorrow.

The government is also banning the annual "balik kampung" exodus of people heading back to their home towns for Hari Raya festivities for the second year, but relaxed home visits for those staying in the same state and federal territory, except for those in the six Selangor districts with high Covid-19 infections.

For families and friends living in the same state, up to 20 people can make Hari Raya visits.

But those in the six Selangor districts cannot leave their areas or receive out-of-district visitors. Dine-ins are banned in restaurants in these districts.

Mr Ismail added that people under a home surveillance order who are categorised as a close contact must wear monitoring devices when undergoing home quarantine starting next week.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in a separate press conference yesterday that the government is rolling out a data-driven hot spot identification system to quickly pinpoint trouble spots.

Called Hotspots Identification for Dynamic Engagement, the system will publicly list premises that are designated as hot spots to warn the public to avoid them and for the owners of such premises to take remedial action.

"At the moment, some of the large hot spots in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor are shopping malls, food and beverage outlets and bazaars.

"By identifying these hot spots, premises owners can take early intervention steps, such as testing their workers, strengthening the gatekeeping process and also tightening crowd control," Mr Khairy said.

He said people who have visited these areas will be categorised as "casual contacts" and they are encouraged to undertake self-health checks.

Malaysia reported 3,120 cases yesterday, taking the total to 420,632. There were 23 fatalities, taking the total death toll to 1,574.

Selangor recorded the highest increase out of all states with 675 new cases.

Meanwhile, Thailand launched a campaign yesterday to vaccinate 50,000 people living in a crowded riverside district of Bangkok as the country tries to contain a third wave of infections.

VACCINATE

The authorities aim to vaccinate about 70 per cent of people in Khlong Toei, an area that is home to about 80,000 people, after more than 300 residents became infected in the latest outbreak that started in early April.

The inoculation drive will last about two weeks, and health workers also intend to test up to 1,000 people a day, said Mr Aswin Kwanmuang, governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

Thailand yesterday reported 1,763 cases and 27 deaths.

The country has recorded 72,788 cases and 303 fatalities since the pandemic began last year. - THE STRAITS TIMES, THE STAR, REUTERS

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