Coronavirus Asia
Ipoh goes under full lockdown tomorrow as cases keep rising
Malaysia to decide today on whether to extend stringent restrictions nationwide
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A man putting up a notice of temporary closure of the Raja Nazrin Shah Mosque in Kampung Rapat Jaya Tambahan, Ipoh, yesterday. Malaysia's vaccination roll-out is moving at a slower pace than initially scheduled due to the slow arrival of vaccines.
PHOTO: BERNAMA
Ram Anand Malaysia Correspondent In Kuala Lumpur, Ram Anand
A full lockdown will be imposed on Malaysia's fourth largest city, Ipoh, for two weeks from tomorrow as the federal government considers extending the tough measure throughout the country.
The announcement by Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday came as the Covid-19 situation continued to worsen, with a record 6,806 new infections and 59 deaths reported nationwide.
Besides the state capital Ipoh, four districts in Perak - Hulu Perak, Kinta, Muallim and Larut Matang & Selama - will also come under the enhanced movement control order until June 4.
The health ministry has recorded a 119.3 per cent increase in cases in the four districts from May 5 to 18.
The National Security Council (NSC), chaired by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, is due to meet today and discuss whether to impose a full lockdown throughout the country - akin to the one imposed between March and May last year.
De-facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan said yesterday a full lockdown - where almost all businesses will be shuttered except for essential sectors - is one of the options that the NSC will consider.
Talk of a full lockdown has swirled for the past week following a proposal by the Health Ministry to impose it on one of the country's main economic hubs, the Klang Valley.
But Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz and several business associations appeared to oppose the move, warning of its severe economic ramifications.
Tengku Zafrul had said that a full lockdown could lead to as many as one million Malaysians being unemployed.
Malaysia's civil service union Cuepacs on Wednesday called for a 21-day lockdown to deal with the situation but also asked that the loan moratoriums granted during the second wave of Covid-19 early last year be reintroduced.
Calls for the moratorium were echoed by the youth wing of Umno, which is part of Mr Muhyiddin's Perikatan Nasional government.
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6,806
Number of new infections recorded nationwide yesterday.
119.3%
Increase in cases in four districts in Perak - Hulu Perak, Kinta, Muallim and Larut Matang & Selama - from May 5 to 18.
In the previous two lockdowns - in March last year and January this year - the government announced fiscal relief measures to stem the economic fallout.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin has yet to announce anything similar despite re-introducing a lockdown like the one imposed in January. It came into effect on May 12 and is scheduled to last until June 7.
Under the current lockdown, many economic sectors remain open despite a ban on social gatherings, travel across district borders and dining-in at restaurants.
Malaysia's vaccination roll-out is moving at a slower pace than initially scheduled due to the slow arrival of vaccines.
The country was initially scheduled to have started inoculating its general population by this month, but it has yet to finish vaccinating those in high-risk categories, including the elderly and infirm.
The government is confident, however, that the goal to inoculate 80 per cent of the adult population to achieve herd immunity by the end of the year remains attainable.
