Malaysia extends movement control measures until Dec 31 to curb virus spread

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA will extend the measures aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus infections until Dec 31.

The government continues to require the use of face masks in public spaces. Places where social distancing is difficult to uphold, such as nightclubs and theme parks, will remain shut, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised speech on Friday evening.

Foreign tourists are still barred from entry under the extended movement-control restrictions, he added.

"Our country is still facing a difficult challenge in handling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, considering this virus is still actively spreading across the world," he said.

The spread of the virus globally means "it will be a long time before our country is free from the dangers of Covid-19", he added.

Malaysia has so far avoided major resurgences seen elsewhere in the world. It has added fewer than a dozen new cases each day for the past two weeks. There were only 10 reported cases on Friday.

Still, the Ministry of Health remains wary as new clusters continue to emerge.

The government has largely eased the lockdown measures first imposed in March, which involved ordering nearly all businesses to shut and limiting people's movements.

That led the economy to contract by the most since the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Most industries have since been allowed to reopen from early May, with social-distancing protocols in place; the measures were further eased in June.

The economy has since shown positive signs of recovery, said Mr Muhyiddin on Friday. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS