All to stay home after 8pm, most factories shut among tightened COVID-19 curbs for parts of KL and Selangor

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government will implement an enhanced movement control order (EMCO) in many parts of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur for a period of 14 days, said Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Thursday (Jul 1).

The curbs will be implemented from Jul 3 to Jul 16. 

For Selangor, this includes the  sub-districts of Petaling, Damansara, Ampang, Cheras, Kajang, Sepang, Setapak and Klang among many others. 

Meanwhile for Kuala Lumpur, the localities affected include several residential areas in Wangsa Maju, Kerinchi, Bandar baru Sentul, Kampung Batu Muda and Kampung Padang Balang. 

In a statement, the minister said that the EMCO restrictions mean residents living in these areas cannot leave their homes after 8pm, while only one person per household is allowed to run errands. 

Only residents who work in essential services, or part of official government duty with appropriate documentation are allowed to travel to work, said Mr Ismail Sabri. 

Factories manufacturing food and daily essential items, including rice, bread, sugar, oil, milk and medication are allowed to operate while all restaurants, food courts, shops and street vendors can only open from 8am to 8pm.

According to Mr Ismail Sabri, all the areas affected by the EMCO show a high trend of COVID-19 infections. 

"Selangor reports an average daily COVID-19 tally of between 1,800 to 1,900. Meanwhile, in the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur, the average daily cases is in the range of 600 to 1,000 cases," he said. 

Mr Ismail Sabri added that the situation is alarming taking into account the population density of these areas and the fast spread of the Alpha, Beta and Delta variants. 

The Health Ministry will also conduct targeted mass testing for all residents in the affected areas, and the vaccination programme will be expedited.

Mr Ismail Sabri added that airports and sea ports are operating as usual while public transport will continue to operate at 50 per cent capacity. 

Last Sunday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that Malaysia will extend phase 1 of its national lockdown until daily cases fell below 4,000. 

Mr Ismail Sabri also said at that time that Phase 1 of the movement control order will be maintained until three key threshold value indicators are achieved.

The indicators are that the number of daily COVID-19 cases drop to below 4,000, the rate of bed usage in intensive care units is at a moderate level and that 10 per cent of the population has received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Malaysia's daily case numbers have exceeded 5,000 over the last four days, with Selangor and Kuala Lumpur accounting for more than a third of the national total. 

On Thursday, Malaysia recorded 6,988 new COVID-19 cases. Of this total, 2,885 cases were logged in Selangor while 988 cases were recorded in Kuala Lumpur. 

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