PUTRAJAYA • Malaysia yesterday recorded 170 Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 4,987.
The country, which entered the 28th day of its movement control order (MCO) yesterday, also reported five deaths to bring the fatality toll to 82 people.
This translates to a fatality rate of 1.64 per cent, said Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the country's director-general of health.
In a separate development, popular shopping streets in downtown Kuala Lumpur known as the Jalan Masjid India district have been placed under total lockdown after more than 40 people in the area tested positive for Covid-19.
Under the country's enhanced movement control order (Emco), no one is allowed to enter or leave the area, and food is distributed to residents by the authorities for 14 days. Health officials will check the health status of every resident.
Speaking about the state of the government's fight against the coronavirus in his daily news briefings, Dr Noor said Malaysia has treated and discharged 202 patients as of noon yesterday, bringing to 2,478 the total number of patients who have recovered from Covid-19.
The rate of recovery in Malaysia is 49.7 per cent out of the total number of positive cases.
Dr Noor also said there are 60 patients in intensive care units, with 33 of them requiring ventilators.
The MCO has been extended into a third phase from today and is scheduled to end on April 28.
In the Jalan Masjid India area, the authorities have put up barbed wire fences. The area takes its name from a large mosque at the centre of the district which is frequented by the Indian-Muslim community.
The landmark district has a radius of about 1km and has more than 10,000 residents, including 6,000 living at Selangor Mansion and Malayan Mansion, and 3,200 people at Menara City One.
These three apartment blocks had earlier been placed under the Emco after coronavirus cases surged there.
Premises along streets known to most Malaysians have also been closed. They included Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Lebuh Ampang, Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Dang Wangi and Jalan Munshi Abdullah. The shopping streets are popular with tourists, including those from Singapore.
Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the Emco for the area will be in force until April 28.
"We hope the residents and premises owners give their full cooperation to the authorities," he told reporters at his Covid-19 daily news conference.
Jalan Masjid India now joins several other areas that were earlier placed under total lockdown following surges in virus cases - villages in Simpang Renggam in Johor and those in Hulu Langat, Selangor.
Most areas in Hulu Langat yesterday saw their Emco lifted after 14 days, except for a tahfiz Islamic school and a house in the area, which saw the lockdown extended for another 14 days.
THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
