Malaysia extends virus curbs by two weeks as cases stay elevated

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA extended a conditional movement control order in capital Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and Selangor by two weeks to help contain the spread of coronavirus infections.

The restrictions that had been due to end on Dec 31 will continue until Jan 14, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Monday. While interstate and inter-districts travel will remain unaffected, borders will stay closed for foreign tourists, he said.

Covid-19 cases in Malaysia topped 100,000 for the first time on Christmas eve, and daily cases hit a record 2,235 on Saturday. The government is struggling to stem a fresh wave that emerged in September, with the outbreak spreading to facilities of companies including Top Glove Corp and Karex Bhd.

The government isn't ruling out further tightening of the standard operating procedures aimed at preventing the spread of infections if violations are widespread, Mr Ismail said.

The nation added 1,594 new Covid cases on Monday.

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Malaysia is also planning to file 30 charges against glove maker Brightway Holdings and two of its subsidiaries, after raids that found workers' accommodation was not up to legal standards.

The Labour Department, part of the Ministry of Human Resources, conducted a raid on one of the glove-making factory in Kajang district, just outside Kuala Lumpur, last week where they found workers living in cramped, dirty shipping containers stacked behind the premises.

The ministry said in a statement late on Sunday it had found "facilities that do not meet the minimum standard specifications" and the employer did not have a proper certificate of accommodation.

Brightway did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ministry said it was in the process of completing investigation papers against Brightway and its subsidiaries Biopro and La Glove.

Malaysia is the world's top producer of rubber gloves and its factories have been particularly busy meeting orders since the novel coronavirus pandemic began.

The charges come as Malaysia steps up scrutiny of workers accommodation at glove manufacturing firms after a Covid-19 outbreak at Top Glove Corp, the world's biggest maker of medical gloves.

Malaysia said this month it would file charges against Top Glove because of poor worker accommodation, which it found to be cramped and poorly ventilated. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS