Malaysia reports more than 4,400 new COVID-19 cases; some festive bazaars permitted to continue

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported a spike of more than 4,400 new COVID-19 cases on Friday (May 7), on the first day of a renewed lockdown in several areas including the capital Kuala Lumpur.

There were a total of 4,498 new infections, an increase of almost 1,000 cases compared to the previous day, the health ministry said in an update on Twitter. Five of these were imported infections while the rest are local cases.

The Klang Valley area, comprising Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, accounted for the most number of cases with 1,860 infections. There were 750 new cases in Sarawak and 327 in Johor.

There were also 22 new fatalities from COVID-19, bringing the national death toll to 1,632.

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Kuala Lumpur is under a movement control order (MCO) from Friday to May 20. Several districts in Selangor and Johor have also been placed under renewed MCO restrictions.

Under the MCO, social events such as weddings, reunions and retreats are prohibited. However, Malaysian Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Tuesday that Hari Raya visiting will be permitted in these areas on the first day of Aidilfitri, which falls on May 13, subject to a cap of up to 15 people at any one time.

For areas under the conditional movement control order (CMCO) and recovery movement control order (RMCO), Hari Raya visiting will be allowed for the first three days of Aidilfitri from May 13 to May 15.

For CMCO areas, a maximum of 20 people are allowed while for RMCO, 25 people are allowed.

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Johor authorities announced on Thursday that Ramadan and Aidilfitri bazaars will also be permitted to go ahead in Johor Bahru, Kota Tinggi and Kulai – the three districts that fall under MCO restrictions.

Ramadan bazaars would be allowed to operate from 3pm to 8pm, while Aidilfitri bazaars are allowed to open from 10am to 10pm.

As of Friday, Malaysia has reported a total of 432,425 COVID-19 infections, of which 34,789 are currently classified as active cases. A further 372 are currently in the intensive care unit with 211 requiring respiratory support.

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