Jumat, 28 Mei 2021

Malaysia to enter 'total lockdown' from Jun 1 to Jun 14 as number of COVID-19 cases hits new record - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will close all economic and social sectors by implementing a "total lockdown” throughout the country.

The first phase of the lockdown will last from Jun 1 to Jun 14. This move was announced in a media statement posted on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Facebook page on Friday (May 28) night. 

Only essential economic and service sectors listed by the National Security Council will be allowed to operate during Phase 1 of the lockdown, said the statement issued by Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

“This decision was made after taking into account the current situation of COVID-19 transmission in Malaysia with daily case numbers exceeding 8,000 and active cases exceeding 70,000,” the statement read.

More than 2,550 people in Malaysia have died from the disease.

READ: Malaysia sets COVID-19 case record for 4th straight day with 8,290 new infections

The emergence of more virulent COVID-19 variants also influenced the National Security Council's decision to implement the lockdown.

With the sharp rise in the daily number of COVID-19 cases, hospitals' capacity to treat patients throughout the country are "becoming more limited", the statement added.

If the phase 1 total lockdown is successful in reducing daily COVID-19 cases, the government will implement a four-week phase 2 lockdown by allowing the reopening of a few economic sectors that do not involve large gatherings.

Phase 2 lockdown will last four weeks. 

“Once the phase 2 lockdown ends, the next step is phase 3, which is implementing a movement control order (MCO) similar to the current one in effect, where social activities are not allowed and nearly all economic sectors are allowed to operate subject to strict standard operating procedures and limited physical presence at workplaces,” the PMO said.

READ: Malaysian volunteer undertakers struggle to cope as COVID-19 cases surge

However, the decision to move from one phase to the next will be subject to the health ministry’s risk assessment, and will be based on the daily caseloads and the hospitals' capacity to treat COVID-19 patients.

The government will ensure the Malaysian public health system will not crumble and that support and assistance will be given to the health ministry to increase hospital capacity, said the PMO.

“The government will also increase the number of vaccine deliveries in the space of the next few weeks in the effort to develop herd immunity in the country.

“As a result of the government’s decision to execute full economic and social shutdown, the finance ministry will detail assistance packages for the people and affected economic sectors,” PMO stated, adding these would be announced in the very near future.

READ: More people in Malaysia to work from home, shorter business hours among new COVID-19 curbs during MCO 3.0

PMO's announcement came as Malaysia set a COVID-19 case record for the fourth straight day with 8,290 new infections, bringing the national total past 549,000. 

Sixty-one more COVID-19 fatalities, aged between 27 and 92 were reported, pushing Malaysia's death toll to 2,552.

A nationwide MCO dubbed MCO 3.0 was reimposed in May, when all economic sectors were allowed to operate but people were encouraged to practise "self-lockdown".  

Amid calls for the government to impose a full lockdown as cases remained high, the government had announced tightened curbs that mandated more employees to work from home and business operating hours to be shortened. 

Mr Muhyiddin, in a May 23 interview, said that while a full lockdown would guarantee people’s safety, there is a risk that the economy could collapse.

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2021-05-28 13:41:15Z
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Malaysia to impose total nationwide lockdown from June 1-14 amid record number of Covid-19 cases - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia will go into a total nationwide lockdown for all social and economic sectors from next Tuesday (June 1) to June 14.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's announcement on Friday (May 28) comes as the country reported 8,290 new coronavirus cases that day, its fourth straight day of record infections. This brings the total cumulative cases since the start of the pandemic to 549,514.

Only essential economic sectors and services will be allowed to operate, Tan Sri Muhyiddin said.

“This decision was made after taking into account the current situation of the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia with daily cases surpassing 8,000 and over 70,000 active cases,” he said in a statement.

“As of today, 2,552 have passed away from this pandemic, and the number of deaths is increasing. The presence of more aggressive variants with higher infectivity also influenced today’s decision.”

The Premier, who on Sunday insisted a total lockdown would cause more damage by ruining an already ailing economy, added that “hospital capacity nationwide to treat Covid-19 patients is also becoming increasingly limited”.

Malaysia reported 61 deaths from the virus on Friday, matching a previous peak recorded on Monday. This is the first month since the pandemic began last year that more than 1,000 lives have been lost.

The Premier on Friday also outlined an exit strategy from the total shutdown, should it succeed in reducing the number of new Covid-19 cases.

A second phase lasting four weeks will follow, which will allow more sectors to reopen, provided these activities do not involve large gatherings.

Should the situation improve further, restrictions will be further eased under a third phase. This will be similar to current movement control rules, where most economic activities - subject to standard operating procedures (SOP)and health protocols - will resume, while social activities will still be barred.

“The decision to shift from one phase to the next will be subject to a risk assessment by the Health Ministry. This will be based on the development of daily cases and hospital capacity nationwide,” Mr Muhyiddin said.

Friday's announcement did not outline specific regulations. It is expected that the National Security Council will decide on these over the weekend and issue new SOPs ahead of their implementation on Tuesday.

Given the impact of the lockdown, the Prime Minister said that the Finance Ministry will develop an aid package for the public and affected economic sectors. 

Malaysia had hoped its economy would recover to pre-coronavirus levels with up to 7.5 per cent growth this year, having experienced a 5.6 decline last year, the worst since the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis.

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2021-05-28 12:35:59Z
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Taiwan relaxes rules for coronavirus vaccine imports as deaths mount - South China Morning Post

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  1. Taiwan relaxes rules for coronavirus vaccine imports as deaths mount  South China Morning Post
  2. Request to drop word 'country' preceded BioNTech vaccine deal collapse, says Taiwan  CNA
  3. Taiwan targets Covid-19 vaccination for 60% of population by October  The Straits Times
  4. China accuses Australia of ‘exaggerating threat of war’ over Taiwan  South China Morning Post
  5. Taiwan sees 'political warfare' in dispute with China over vaccines  Yahoo Singapore News
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2021-05-28 12:04:56Z
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Malaysia's critical wards filling up amid Covid-19 surge - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's increasingly deadly coronavirus surge is stretching its medical resources, with critical wards filling up and some patients being turned away or experiencing long waits.

This is taking place even as more spaces are being converted to Covid-19 wards.

Non-Covid-19 patients are also feeling the pain, as capacity for their needs has been reduced, with more priority being given to coronavirus patients.

The authorities have said the country, which now has more cases per million people than India, has yet to reach the stage where health workers have to triage - selecting patients for care based on their chances of survival.

But there are signs that families of non-Covid-19 patients are beginning to have to make such decisions about their loved ones amid the crisis.

A healthcare worker at a key hospital in Kuala Lumpur said that some patients requiring critical care have had to be turned away.

"We try to accommodate all but not always we have ventilators and beds," the front-liner, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Straits Times.

He related an incident where a critically ill non-Covid-19 patient's family was told to opt between bringing their loved one back home to die or keeping the patient in the hospital with the same outcome.

Families of Covid-19 patients are also facing a struggle to secure critical care beds for their loved ones.

A professional who recently lost her father, 85, to coronavirus-related complications, said that when he was diagnosed with Covid-19, it took the family more than 12 hours to secure a bed for him, at a semi-government hospital in Selangor, as the beds were full at all the hospitals that treated Covid-19 patients needing critical care. 

The 51-year-old, who wished to be known only as Jane, told ST: "The doctor who was caring for my father called every hospital in the city to try and get a bed for him once the test result came back positive. It was a stressful time for us because he was also a dialysis patient."

The northern state of Kedah - which has seen a drastic surge in the past weeks - has said that it might no longer admit chronically ill patients with little hope into intensive care units (ICU), whether they are Covid-19 patients or not.

Dr Mohd Hayati Othman, the state's Health and Local Government executive councillor, said: "I feel heavy-hearted on whether to announce this, but I have to say it: In certain cases, doctors have to choose whom to send to the ICU, and if the patient is too chronically ill and has no hope, we won't admit them to the ICU."

Jane, whose father was very ill when he was in hospital, said: "Halfway through his treatment, the doctor treating him called me up and hinted that he (the father) might be taking an ICU bed that is sorely needed for someone else."


Malaysia has for the past week been reporting more than 50 deaths a day from the coronavirus. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Malaysia is currently in the third week of a month-long lockdown - the third since the pandemic - to deal with the rising infection numbers.

However, the lockdown has shown no signs of easing the caseload, with the country consistently breaching record infection figures and record deaths in the past week. A record number of patients are admitted in intensive care units.

In the central districts around the capital Kuala Lumpur, the rate of ICU usage for Covid-19 cases has already exceeded capacity at 113 per cent.

Figures released last week showed that 377 ICU beds were taken up by Covid-19 patients, despite only 334 beds being initially designated for such patients. This has left just over 70 vacant ICU beds for non-Covid-19 patients across 12 hospitals in Malaysia's most densely populated region. Nationwide, 83 per cent of all designated Covid-19 ICU beds were taken up.

As at Thursday, Malaysia has 771 Covid-19 patients in ICUs, with more than half of them requiring ventilator support - the highest number recorded to date.

The country has for the past week been reporting more than 50 deaths a day from Covid-19, reaching an all-time high of 61 deaths on Sunday.

On Thursday, Malaysia set a new record of 7,857 new infections, the third consecutive day of new record infections. Active cases have reached 69,408, the highest ever recorded.

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2021-05-28 06:29:31Z
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Jailed HK tycoon Jimmy Lai sentenced to 14 months for Oct 1 illegal assembly - CNA

HONG KONG: Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon and Beijing critic Jimmy Lai was given a new prison sentence of 14 months on Friday (May 28) over his role in an unauthorised assembly on Oct 1, 2019, during one of the city's pro-democracy rallies that year.

This month, Lai, who is serving a 14-month sentence for participating in similar demonstrations on Aug 18 and Aug 31, 2019, and nine other activists, pleaded guilty in District Court to organising an unauthorised assembly.

He has been in jail since December after being denied bail in a separate national security trial. He faces three charges under the new law, introduced by China in 2020 in response to the protests, including collusion with a foreign country.

Lai's repeated arrests have drawn criticism from Western governments and international rights groups, who raised concerns over waning freedoms in the global financial hub, including freedom of speech and assembly.

Beijing sees him as a traitor and an anti-China instigator.

China says the sweeping security law, which punishes anything Beijing considers as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, was vital to restore stability and prosperity.

READ: Future sours for Hong Kong's brazen Apple Daily tabloid

READ: Hong Kong leader says freezing media tycoon Jimmy Lai's assets will hopefully reinforce financial hub status

Judge Amanda Woodcock, who handed Lai his previous illegal assembly sentence in April, delivered the sentence on Friday. She said part of the new sentence would be served consecutively, meaning Lai faces a total of 20 months in prison so far.

There were major clashes on Oct 1, China's national day, including a live round shot by a policeman at a protester swinging a long stick, the first use of a handgun after months of demonstrations.

"They did call for a peaceful, rational and non-violent procession but how naive and unrealistic was that considering what was happening on a daily basis was the opposite," Woodcock said. "This is not with hindsight. The risk was very real every day at that time."

The other nine defendants, including activists Figo Chan, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho and Leung Kwok-hung, who is known in Hong Kong as Long Hair, were sentenced to up to 18 months. Two received suspended sentences.

"Your Honour, for over 40 years I have strived for democratic reform in China," Lee told the court this week during one of the hearings. "This is my unrequited love, the love for my country with such a heavy heart."

Activist Tsang Kin-shing, present at the court, condemned the "heavy" sentencing received by Long Hair, his colleague in the League of Social Democrats.

"We’re all trapped now in a prison city where freedom of expression is not allowed," Tsang told Reuters.

The sentence comes two weeks after authorities froze assets belonging to Lai, including bank accounts and his 71.26 per cent stake in media publisher Next Digital.

Hong Kong's security chief sent letters to Lai and branches of HSBC and Citibank this month threatening up to seven years in prison for any dealings with the billionaire's accounts in the city, according to documents seen by Reuters.

The moves could imperil any attempt by the democracy activist to move offshore assets back home to prop up Next Digital's troubled Apple Daily tabloid, a staunch government critic, one of Lai's financial advisers said.

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2021-05-28 04:19:29Z
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Kamis, 27 Mei 2021

Malaysian volunteer undertakers struggle to cope as COVID-19 cases surge - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian volunteers, who help to give COVID-19 victims a Muslim burial, say they are being stretched like never before, as the country struggles to cope with its worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic.

Dressed in full protective gear, the Malaysian Funeral Management Squad is usually called in by hospitals to help families to pay their last respects in a safe way.

Muhammad Rafieudin Zainal Rasid, a religious leader who heads the nationwide volunteer team, has become known as the "cleric undertaker". He said the volunteers were currently handling nearly 30 times more bodies than they did last year.

The volunteer team has grown in size to more than 2,000 members, but Muhammad Rafieudin said they are struggling to keep up.

"Before this, it was about one to three cases per month, but now we are managing up to two to three cases a day," he said, referring to just one team in the district of Kuala Lumpur where he is based.

READ: Record number of new COVID-19 cases in Malaysia for third straight day

READ: Johor sultan urges Malaysia government to consider full lockdown if COVID-19 cases continue to rise

The volunteers go from the hospital to the morgue to prepare the bodies for burial and also perform Muslim prayers at the cemetery, sometimes joined by family members who are also given full protective gear.

But as the number of deaths from the virus increases in the Muslim-majority country, it is sometimes hard to bury the body within 24 hours as is typical under Islam.

"If there are more than 10 cases today at the same cemetery, it might take two to three (days) to wrap everything up," he said.

Malaysia on Thursday (May 27) reported 7,857 new COVID-19 cases, the third straight day of record infections, and 59 deaths.

While its overall caseload is far lower than some neighbours, its ratio of infections to population, at more than 16,000 per million, is Southeast Asia's highest, public data shows.

"We are worried that the risk will be more dangerous for all of us who are exposed since we are handling the bodies," said Muhammad Rafieudin.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments

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2021-05-28 01:51:35Z
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Biden orders review of COVID-19 origins as lab leak theory debated - CNA

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden ordered aides to find answers to the origin of the virus that causes COVID-19, saying on Wednesday (May 27) that US intelligence agencies are pursuing rival theories potentially including the possibility of a laboratory accident in China.

Intelligence agencies are considering two likely scenarios but still lack strong confidence in their conclusions and are hotly debating which is more probable, Biden said.

The conclusions were detailed in a report to Biden, who asked his team in March to detail whether the novel coronavirus "emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident", according to the president's written statement.

Biden's unusual public disclosure about private and inconclusive US intelligence assessments revealed a debate raging within his administration over where the novel coronavirus originated. It also lent credence to a theory that the virus may have emerged from a Chinese research laboratory instead of in nature.

READ: COVID-19 lab origin theory gains traction in United States

China's embassy in the United States said late on Thursday that politicising the issue would hamper investigations into the origins of COVID-19.

China supports "a comprehensive study of all early cases of COVID-19 found worldwide and a thorough investigation into some secretive bases and biological laboratories all over the world", the embassy said in remarks attributed to a spokesperson, posted on its website.

The pandemic has killed more than 3 million people worldwide and battered the global economy because of lockdowns and other restrictions to slow its spread. The origin of the virus remains contested among experts. The first known cases emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.

In a report issued in March and written jointly with Chinese scientists, a World Health Organization-led team that spent four weeks in and around Wuhan in January and February said the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that "introduction through a laboratory incident was considered to be an extremely unlikely pathway".

'SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR CHINA'

Washington's frustration has mounted in recent weeks over what it sees as insufficient cooperation from China into the international investigation.

"I have now asked the Intelligence Community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyse information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion, and to report back to me in 90 days," Biden said.

"As part of that report, I have asked for areas of further inquiry that may be required, including specific questions for China."

US agencies have been pursuing COVID-19's origins since the government first recognised the virus as a serious health risk in early 2020.

Earlier this week, US government sources said a still-classified US intelligence report circulated during former President Donald Trump's administration alleged that three researchers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology became so ill in November 2019 that they sought hospital care.

The source of that early intelligence or how reliable US agencies rate it is not known. It remains unclear whether the afflicted researchers were hospitalised or what their symptoms were, one of the sources said.

READ: US urges WHO to carry out 2nd phase of COVID-19 origin study in China

Intelligence committees of both the US Senate and House of Representatives are investigating how US agencies have reported on and gathered information about COVID-19's origin, how it spread and how governments have responded to it.

A report issued by House Intelligence Committee Republicans earlier this month focused particularly on the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The Republican report asserted that "significant circumstantial evidence raises serious concerns that the COVID-19 outbreak may have been a leak" from the institute, suggested the Wuhan lab was involved in biological weapons research, and that Beijing had attempted to "cover up" the virus' origins.

Washington has called for the WHO to open a second phase to its investigation on COVID-19's origin.

On Wednesday in Geneva, WHO emergency director Mike Ryan said the agency expected to provide an update on its proposed next steps "in the coming weeks".

China's delegation to the WHO said on Tuesday it was calling on "all parties" to "adopt an open and transparent attitude" to cooperate with the WHO's attempts to trace the virus' origin.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments

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2021-05-27 20:55:33Z
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