Malaysia imposes restricted movement order from March 18 to 31 to contain COVID-19

KUALA LUMPUR (March 16): The government has imposed a restricted movement order nationwide from March 18 to March 31 to address the COVID-19 outbreak, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pictured).

In a live national address today, Muhyiddin said that the control order is made under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 and the Police Act 1967.

The measures include shutdown of houses of worship and business premises, except for supermarkets, public markets, and convenient stores. Also prohibited are all mass gatherings including religious, sports, social and cultural activities.

“Specifically for Muslims, the adjournment of all religious activities in mosques and mosques including Friday prayers is in line with the decision of the Special Mental Health Committee meeting on March 15, 2020,” said Muhyiddin.

The sanctions also cover all Malaysians traveling abroad and for all tourists and foreign visitors into the country, Muhyiddin said.

For those who have just returned from overseas, they are required to undergo a health check and to do a quarantine or self quarantine for 14 days.

All education centres are also closed, from kindergartens to higher education institutions.

The government is also shutting down all government and private premises “except those involved in essential services namely water, electricity, energy, telecommunications, postal, transportation, irrigation, oil, gas, fuel, lubricants, broadcasting, finance, banking, health, pharmacy, fire, prison, port, airport, safety, defense, cleaning, retail and food supply.

The prime minister urged Malaysians not to go into panic buying, reiterating relevant ministries have been moved to ensure adequate supply of food and other essentials including face masks are available and accessible to the public.

For further questions on the restricted movement order, the public can reach out to the hotline at 03-8888 2010.

At the time of writing, Malaysia has recorded 553 confirmed cases, with 35 of the patients cured of the coronavirus.

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