Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday unveiled a four-phase, post-pandemic exit plan on the eve of a crucial meeting of Malaysia's sultans that could decide on his political future.
Tan Sri Muhyiddin, in a televised address, unveiled the National Recovery Plan, which projects that from September, Malaysia might gradually open up its economy, social sectors and also Parliament.
Parliament and the 13 state legislatures have not sat this year.
"We cannot continue like this. We need to exit this crisis as soon as possible," he told Malaysians, indicating that the current lockdown is costing the government RM1 billion (S$322 million) a day.
The country is undergoing its third nationwide lockdown to tame the latest Covid-19 surge. He described the current lockdown as the first phase of the exit plan.
The second phase, where Covid-19 curbs will be slightly relaxed while retaining social sector and travel bans, will start once daily new infections fall below 4,000 cases, and also after 10 per cent of the population has been fully inoculated. This is expected to take place in July and August.
The third phase, earmarked for the beginning of September, will see most sectors of the economy allowed to open by default, while some curbs on social sectors remain. For this, daily cases have to dip below 2,000 a day and 40 per cent of the population has to be fully vaccinated.
A full reopening is projected from November, once 60 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated and daily cases dip below 500 a day, he said.
Malaysia has been struggling to bring down its Covid-19 infections this year, with daily cases hitting a record 9,020 on May 29. The number went below 1,000 only once this year, at 941 cases on March 29.
Mr Muhyiddin's address to the nation came hours after he had an audience with Malaysia's King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah.
Sultan Abdullah will meet the eight other sultans at a special Conference of Rulers meeting today at 2.30pm, where they are expected to discuss the handling of the crisis by the Muhyiddin administration.
Also expected to be discussed is the national state of emergency that is supposed to end on Aug 1.
Mr Muhyiddin in January gained the King's consent to declare a state of emergency that suspended Parliament and state legislatures, and also postponed several by-elections to allow the government to focus on battling the pandemic.
But Covid-19 cases have only worsened since then, with movement curbs imposed for the third time last month, which was also the deadliest month since the pandemic began in January last year.
Mr Muhyiddin imposed a total lockdown from June 1, and it has now been extended till June 28.
Malaysia recorded 5,419 new infections yesterday, bringing total infections to 667,876.
The country is speeding up vaccinations. On Monday, Malaysia registered its highest vaccination rate to date, giving 197,963 doses. Of its 33 million people, 10 per cent have now received at least one dose, while 59 per cent of adults have registered for vaccination.
The Drug Control Authority (DCA) yesterday approved two single-dose vaccines, CanSino from China and the US Johnson & Johnson vaccine. It currently uses three two-dose vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac and AstraZeneca. DCA yesterday also approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those who are at least 12 years old.
