Malaysia’s Movement Control Order, or MCO 3.0 which was due to expire on 28 June will be extended indefinitely until the country’s COVID-19 infection numbers have met the threshold set, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
National news agency Bernama reported the prime minister as saying that daily COVID-19 cases were still above the limit of 4,000 a day, one of the three benchmarks that must be reached before the National Recovery Plan (NRP) could move into the second phase.
“Now they say the MCO is about to end. I want to say that from now on we don’t call it MCO, but we say we are in a particular phase and now we are in Phase One [of the NRP] until July, maybe the middle of the month or so.
“It is wrong to say June 28 is the end of the MCO,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
The requirements to move to the second phase of the NRP according to the government are:
- Daily case numbers drop to below 4,000
- ICU capacity is at a medium level
- 10 percent of the population has received two vaccine doses.
Extended Operating Hours and SME Assistance
The government has also announced that F&B outlets can open from 6.00am to 10.00pm, but only for takeaway and delivery.
Muhyiddin has also announced that new assistance measures will be introduced for all layers of society. He will announce the new measures personally and assured small-medium enterprises (SMEs) that they would not be left out.
“We are aware everyone is waiting to see how the government is going to help those affected during this phase (of National Recovery Plan) and subsequent phases until the end of the year. Of course, there will be assistance for B40, M40 and loan moratorium for the T20 (eligible) group.
“We have taken account of the needs of all these groups more comprehensively than before. I will announce the details tomorrow or the day after, so that everyone knows where we stand. But what’s important is that support is given to all groups in society. There may be an increase in the form of assistance to be extended,” he said.
