PETALING JAYA: The movement control order (MCO) has been extended by another two weeks, and will now end on May 12, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pix) announced today.
The Prime Minister also said it is possible that the order would be extended even further, beyond the Hari Raya Aidilfitri period.
He said the decision was made based on data provided to him by the Health Ministry, which indicated that the effort taken by the country to contain and fight the Covid-19 virus needed to be carried on.
“Although the numbers show a positive development, the measures we are taking need to continue to a point when we are truly confident that the pandemic is contained fully.
“As such, I would like to announce that the MCO, which is supposed to end on April 28, will be extended for another two weeks,” he said in a national address that was telecast live.
“During this period, the government will evaluate the latest data to identify the next course of action. I won’t rule out that the MCO will be extended even further.
“What this means is that you may not be able to celebrate Hari Raya in your hometowns as usual,” he added.
Muhyiddin, however, said that should the number of cases continue to drop drastically, the government might relax the MCO in several sectors, including the social sector, to allow Malaysians to undergo a more comfortable life.
The premier pointed out that the number of new cases have dropped to double figures in the past week, compared to three digits previously, indicating that the MCO has been effective.
He said in view of this, the government has decided to relax slightly on the current standard operating procedures.
“For one, we will allow students stuck in campus to return home soon. Additionally, we will also allow those who went to their hometowns before the MCO was implemented on March 18 to return.
“A decision on both will be made soon, and we will ensure that everything goes on smoothly and that it does not affect all our hard work in combatting Covid-19,” he said.
