KUALA LUMPUR (BLOOMBERG) - Malaysia is set to extend a nationwide lockdown that was originally due to end on Monday (June 28) as the number of new Covid-19 infections still remains too high, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said.
The movement restrictions will now stay in place until the nation’s daily caseload falls below 4,000, Mr Muhyiddin said on Sunday, according to a tweet from the Bernama news agency.
The government will announce more comprehensive assistance to all groups of society on Monday or Tuesday, he said during a visit to a vaccination centre in the state of Selangor.
Extending the lockdown will be an additional blow for Malaysia’s economy, which the government is currently expecting to bounce back in the last three months of the year.
The World Bank on Wednesday slashed its 2021 growth forecast for the nation to 4.5 per cent from 6 per cent.
The government said this month it is revising its earlier estimate of 6 per cent to 7.5 per cent due to the lockdown.
The closing of all but essential sectors is costing the economy RM1 billion (S$322 million) a day, Mr Muhyiddin said last week while unveiling a recovery plan.
The Prime Minister unveiled a RM40 billion package at the end of May, the government’s third this year.
Malaysia’s infection rate has declined below 1 since the initial lockdown measures took effect on June 1, from a peak of 1.21 in May when daily cases topped 9,000.
Still, new infections remain elevated, with the country adding 5,803 on Saturday alone.
Saturday was the fourth consecutive day that cases had remained more than 5,000. The number of deaths has also been hovering above 80 in the past four days, with 81 deaths reported on Saturday.
Malaysia expects to transition to the second phase of its recovery plan once new daily cases drop below 4,000, 10 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, and usage of ICU beds is at moderate capacity, Mr Muhyiddin said earlier in June.
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