The whole of Malaysia, except Sarawak, is set to be placed under Covid-19 curbs, with six more states falling under the movement control order (MCO) from Friday following an increase in the number of infections in those areas.
The states are Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Terengganu and Perlis.
"Following advice from the Health Ministry, we have decided to enforce the MCO on these states until Feb 4," Senior Minister in charge of Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday.
The country recorded a total of 3,631 new cases yesterday, marking the sixth straight day of more than 3,000 infections. There were 14 fatalities. The total number of infections now stands at 165,371, with the death toll at 619.
Also, another minister has tested positive for the coronavirus, amid accusations that Cabinet members have been flouting MCO rules.
National Unity Minister Halimah Mohamed Sadique, from the ruling coalition partner Umno, was confirmed to have Covid-19 yesterday.
"Datuk Halimah will undergo treatment and quarantine as instructed. Her condition will be monitored by the health authorities in Johor Baru," the ministry said in a statement.
It added: "While undergoing quarantine, the minister will continue to monitor the National Unity Ministry's affairs to ensure all activities go smoothly."
Datuk Halimah is the fifth Cabinet minister to have tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, a news report on Sunday highlighted a cross-country delegation led by a senior minister and other leaders from the ruling Perikatan Nasional at several events involving large gatherings.
"This has clearly violated... the ban on meetings of government and private agencies involving representatives of external agencies, as well as the ban on events involving many people in the areas under MCO," opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat youth chief Akmal Nasir said in a statement.
He did not name names, but it is believed he was referring to a visit to Johor by Senior Minister Azmin Ali and his entourage from Selangor.
"This is not the first time that a minister has violated the standard operating procedures (SOP). There have been many examples since the beginning of the MCO when ministers seem to be immune from legal action.
"Action against the minister was only taken after the people made a fuss and their SOP violations were highlighted on social media," he added.
Umno MP Nazri Aziz also tested positive yesterday after being in contact with a Covid-19 patient who attended his press conference on Jan 12.
In another development, the government is considering extending the closing time for restaurants to 10pm from 8pm, after #Sibodohkaudengarsini (Hey stupid listen here) became a top trending hashtag on Twitter this week.
Netizens who are unhappy about eateries closing too early during the MCO - which came into effect from Jan 13 in five states and the Federal Territories - have been using the hashtag to vent their frustrations.
The original tweet which started the debate came from Twitter user yarafaee_ whose post on Sunday read: "Hey stupid, listen here. With business hours from 11am-8pm, the whole of Malaysia orders between that time only. Do you know that the Foodpanda/Grab apps always hang because of this? People coming back from work have no time to cook because they have to go back to work the next morning."
Her post, in Malay, was in response to another user who asked Malaysians not to complain about shorter hours, and just order their food a day before. The trending post was shared 17,500 times and liked by some 25,000 users.
The hashtag has sparked some 64,000 tweets as of yesterday.
"Never mess with Malaysians when it involves food and when they are hungry," tweeted user Aaron Denison.
Datuk Seri Ismail has said that the National Security Council and Health Ministry would be discussing the issue.
"The thing is, if we allow restaurants to open until 10pm, other sectors will also request to be allowed to operate until 10pm... Once we come to a decision, it will be announced," he said.
