Key Information for Travelers to Malaysia.
Dear Friends of Malaysia,
Our government has extended the COVID-19 restrictions by enforcing Movement Control Order (MCO) 2.0 in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor, Penang, Melaka, Johor, Kelantan, Sabah and Labuan to February 4 due to a spike in coronavirus cases.
The MCO was initially imposed on these five states and three federal territories for two weeks effective January 13. Therefore, the one-week extension means that the enforcement of MCO for the entire nation including Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Kedah, Perlis, Pahang and Terengganu, is streamlined to the same February 4 end date except for Sarawak.
Eateries and food delivery services in the MCO areas at the same time are permitted to operate until 10 p.m. effective January 22. According to Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the decision-making to impose the MCO 2.0 is not easy as the government needs to strike a balance between the live and livelihood.
Even our Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that the MCO 2.0 might not be prolonged beyond February 4 as the strict restrictions would cause much damage to the country’s economy. And therefore, the government may reinstate with the more relaxed Conditional MCO (CMCO) instead.
Meanwhile, the National Security Council (NSC) has approved the strict standard operating procedure (SOP) for Thaipusam to allow the annual movement of silver chariot bearing the statue of Lord Murugan from the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, Kuala Lumpur to the Sri Subramaniswamy Temple in Batu Caves according to the stipulated time without making any stops and accompanied by not more than ten devotees.
There will be no Thaipusam procession or celebration at temples with the public on January 28, but the Hindus are encouraged to observe their prayers safely in their respective homes.
As of January 26, another 4,076 COVID-19 patients have recovered so far in Malaysia, and the overall COVID-19 recovery rate is at 78.3%. At the same time, Malaysia also recorded 3,585 new cases, totalling 190,434 cases nationwide. The total deaths are 700 cases or 0.4% of the confirmed cases.
