The Malaysian government has just announced the nationwide implementation of Phase One- Full closure of the social and economic sectors or ‘full lockdown’ for 14 days beginning June 1st 2021.
In a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, all sectors are not allowed to operate except essential economic and service sectors that have been listed by the Majlis Keselamatan Negara (National Security Council).
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said, “The decision was reached after taking into account the latest Covid-19 situation in Malaysia, with daily cases exceeding 8,000 and over 70,000 active cases.” Today marked a new high of 8,290 new cases, the fourth day in a row that Malaysia registered new daily records.
The government hopes this move will see the daily Covid-19 cases reduce significantly during the 14-day period, which then the government will progress to Phase Two and Phase Three. Additional information about Phase Two and Three is as follows:
- Phase Two– Reopening of certain economic sectors that do not involve large gatherings and able to adhere to social distancing. The duration planned is four weeks
- Phase Three– Similar to current MCO where social activities and gatherings are disallowed, limited attendance at workplaces and opening of almost all economic sectors with strict adherence to SOPs and physical distancing
The forward transition between phases is dependent on the risk assessment by the Ministry of Health (MOH) that takes the development of daily cases and hospital capacity into account.
The government is also pushing for the increase of vaccination in the coming weeks to achieve herd immunity in the country.
