Advertisement
Advertisement
Coronavirus Malaysia
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
Pedestrians wearing face masks in a Kuala Lumpur shopping district on March 15. Photo: AP

Coronavirus: In Malaysia, calls for a lockdown grow as confirmed cases climb to 553

  • The country reported 125 new cases on Monday, 95 of which are linked to a mass Islamic religious meeting held last month
  • The announcement follows a 190-case jump over the weekend, making Malaysia the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia
Fears over the coronavirus hit new heights in Malaysia as the number of cases climbed to 553, the highest in Southeast Asia, with topics such as #LockDownMalaysia and #CoronavirusOutbreak trending on social media amid the beginnings of panic buying in grocery stores.

Although the country had managed to keep its outbreak in what it dubbed the “early containment” stage, it reported 125 new cases on Monday – 95 of which are linked to a mass Islamic religious meeting held last month, according to the health ministry – following a 190-case jump over the weekend.

South Korea’s coronavirus response is the opposite of China and Italy – and it’s working

The new figures mark a huge spike in Malaysia, which just a week ago had only 117 cases. As a result, the country has entered the “late containment” stage, entailing what new health minister Adham Baba described as “drastic action”.

The religious meeting, or “tabligh”, saw some 16,000 people gather to pray from February 27 to March 1. Of the 14,500 Malaysians who attended, only 7,000 have come forward for testing despite repeated pleas from government and religious officials, the health minister said.

Participants infected at the event have spread new cases to Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia, while Thailand has been struggling to track down its 132 citizens who attended. Singapore closed all mosques on Friday after five people who had attended the Malaysia event tested positive for the virus.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has announced financial assistance for workers forced to take unpaid leave amid the outbreak. Photo: EPA

So far, a total of 42 patients in Malaysia have fully recovered from the coronavirus and have been discharged, leaving 511 still in hospital – 12 of whom are still in intensive care.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday announced the government would be providing monthly financial assistance of 600 ringgit (US$140) for up to six months to workers forced to take unpaid leave beginning March 1.

This involved an allocation of 120 million ringgit (US$28 million) with as many as 33,000 workers targeted to receive the benefit, he told reporters.

Coronavirus: salt water spray infects 46 church-goers in South Korea

He also said there would be a six-month discount on electricity tariffs from April onwards.

In Malaysia, testing is being conducted by the health ministry, which is using contact tracing to identify those who may have been near infected people. People suspected of carrying the virus or who have travelled to affected areas are being screened and asked to self-quarantine.

While many Malaysians have adopted social distancing, including working from home, to stem the spread of the virus, others have applied pressure on the government to declare a lockdown. These include the Malaysian Bar, which also suggested the nation’s courts should be locked down for two weeks.

The sharp rise in infections comes just days after Malaysian authorities decided to proceed with the country’s mandatory Friday communal prayers for Muslims, saying they would institute safety measures such as shortened sermons and the provision of hand sanitiser. Several states later announced they would postpone the prayers.

This, and moves such as the tourism ministry’s refusal to cancel the usually well-attended Malaysia Travel Fair, have sparked widespread criticism of Muhyiddin’s newly minted government, which took power in early March following a week-long political imbroglio that saw the previous administration turfed out after just 21 months of rule.

Malaysia’s Mahathir blames Anwar for PH collapse, says vote to oust Muhyiddin will fail

Health minister Adham Baba, in particular, has been the target of fierce mockery online, criticised for being slow to act and flashing the “peace” sign at a press conference. There have also been fewer press conferences under the new government, with journalists complaining it was “not as forthcoming”.

Malaysia has announced shorter sermons in mosques to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Photo: AP

Meanwhile, Adham’s predecessor Dzulkefly Ahmad took to Twitter to call for intense social distancing rather than a full lockdown, suggesting schools extend holidays, employees work from home and the cancellation of gatherings of more than 50 people. Some Malaysian universities are already holding classes online.

Coronavirus: Singaporeans tread with caution, but a ‘new normal’ appears

A fake infographic detailing the guidelines of a lockdown has gone viral on social media, with the police saying they would track down those sharing it as well as other “irresponsible” individuals who threatened public calm.

Health systems and policy practitioner Dr Swee Kheng Khor said a full lockdown such as that implemented in China – with curfews and the prohibition of movement – would be “dangerous, extreme and unnecessary”, and measures like working from home, reducing mass gatherings or cancelling public events would be far more effective.

However, he said Malaysia needed to act immediately to curb the outbreak.

A worker at a clothing outlet waits for customers at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AP

“If needed, we can close down schools, but that’s not a lockdown. Citizens should still have some freedom of movement, and it should not have to come to a lockdown to manage Covid-19. We just need more aggressive social distancing, now,” Khor said.

“Malaysia’s window of opportunity to act is closing. Worst-case scenario planning should take place if we do end up like Italy’s overwhelmed system. However, if we implement social distancing aggressively now, we can reduce the risk of deterioration. But we must act now.”

Meanwhile, Malaysians are reporting the first signs of panic buying after weeks of relative calm, with some questioning whether the situation will worsen.

‘I was stupidly overconfident’: a South Korean coronavirus survivor’s tale

“All the meat is sold out everywhere,” said legal assistant Norashikin Aziz. “No onions anywhere. Queues about an hour long, and only getting longer. I’m looking for some sort of meat or protein, but even expensive stuff like salmon is sold out.”

Others attempted to order groceries online, but many large chains like Tesco have all delivery slots fully booked until next week. Checks by the South China Morning Post at shops around the nation’s capital saw shelves nearly empty of toilet paper, milk and bread.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Malaysia orders national lockdown, ban on overseas travel
Post