A medical worker collects a swab sample from a woman to be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, June 2, 2021. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng/File Photo
Malaysia extended the nationwide lockdown by two weeks as the number of daily Covid cases remain elevated, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.
The first phase of the lockdown, which was due to end on June 14, will continue until June 28, the minister said in a statement on Friday. The decision to extend was made as daily infections still exceeded 5,000 daily, he said.
Malaysia returned to a hard lockdown this month after new cases exceeded a record 9,000 by end-May, straining the resources of the nation’s hospitals. Only essential sectors can operate under the renewed restrictions, while movement has been restricted to a 10-kilometer (6.2 mile) radius.
The nation’s infection rate has fallen since the measures took effect on June 1, remaining below 1.0 as of Thursday, official data show. Still, cases remain above the 4,000 daily threshold set by the government to end the lockdown, Health Minister Adam Baba said Tuesday. The country reported 6,849 new infections on Friday.
Malaysia’s royal leaders are set to convene on June 16 to discuss the measures taken to tackle the outbreak.
When announcing the lockdown on May 29, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the government plans to re-open economic sectors that don’t involve large crowds if infections dropped after two weeks. This so-called second phase of the lockdown was to last for four weeks.
