Malaysia suspends Monday's Parliament session, citing risk of Covid-19 infection - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR (REUTERS) - Malaysia's special parliamentary sitting will be cut short after the detection of Covid-19 infections in the building, the legislative body said on Saturday (July 31), potentially providing relief for embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin faced calls to resign this week after Malaysia's king issued a rare rebuke of the government's revocation of ordinances - issued under an emergency rule in place since January - without his consent.

The monarch had asked for the revocation of ordinances related to the handling of the pandemic to be debated in Parliament, but the government said that was not necessary.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had filed a no-confidence motion against Mr Muhyiddin following comments from the much-revered king.

Parliament, which had been suspended under the emergency, convened for the first time this year on July 26 for a "special" five-day sitting.

Eleven Covid-19 infections were detected in Parliament on Thursday.

Under PM Muhyiddin's order, the final day of the special session on Monday (Aug 2) will be postponed, the Parliament secretary's office said in a notice.

The postponement was in line with recommendations from health ministry officials who warned that Parliament was at risk of the spread of Covid-19, the notice said. It did not say when parliament would reconvene.

The royal rebuke is the latest crisis to hit Mr Muhyiddin who has governed with a razor-thin majority and leads an unstable ruling coalition since coming to power in March 2020.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy in which the king has a largely ceremonial role, carrying out his duties on advice from the prime minister and Cabinet.

Some analysts say the monarch has discretion over whether an emergency should be declared, however.

Consent from the king, who is revered across Malaysia's multi-ethnic population, is also needed to name a prime minister.

Emergency rule is set to expire on Sunday, except in the state of Sarawak where it will be extended to stop regional elections amid the pandemic.

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2021-07-31 12:55:37Z
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Malaysia's special parliamentary meeting next Monday postponed due to COVID-19 cases in lower house - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s special parliamentary meeting next Monday (Aug 2) will be postponed to a future date due to COVID-19 cases being detected in parliament, said the secretary of the House of Representatives.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Mr Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin said the notice to postpone the meeting was issued by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in line with Standing Order 11(3).

“This postponement is in line with the health director-general's proposal and current risk assessment conducted by the health ministry, as a result of the latest developments regarding COVID-19 spread, where the health ministry is of the opinion that the Malaysian parliament is a locality at risk for the spread of COVID-19,” according to the statement.

“As such, I have been ordered by Deputy Speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon to deliver this notice to all MPs that the house will not sit on Monday, Aug 2.”

READ: Malaysia's king extends COVID-19 state of emergency in Sarawak to stop polls

The five-day special parliamentary meeting was supposed to allow the government to brief lawmakers about its COVID-19 response and pave the way for an eventual hybrid parliament sitting. The last day of the meeting was scheduled to take place on Aug 2.

However, the proceedings were overshadowed by an announcement by de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan that the emergency ordinances introduced during the state of emergency had been revoked on Jul 21.

In a rare reprimand, the palace said that the government had revoked the ordinances without the king’s consent. "His Majesty stressed that the minister's statement in the parliament on Jul 26 is not accurate and has misled the MPs,” it said.

The Prime Minister’s Office, however, has maintained that its actions were in accordance with Malaysia’s laws and Constitution.

On Thursday afternoon, the parliament building went into lockdown after it was announced that two COVID-19 cases were detected there. All lawmakers were made to undergo screening while the proceedings were postponed.

The parliament meeting was later adjourned at 5.15pm when the deputy speaker said that two more COVID-19 cases were detected.

Subsequently, health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said 11 COVID-19 cases were detected at the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

Ten of these cases were detected using antigen saliva test kits, while the remaining case was detected through a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, he said.

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2021-07-31 10:30:02Z
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China's worst coronavirus outbreak in months spreads to Fujian, Chongqing - The Straits Times

BEIJING (AFP, REUTERS) - China raced on Saturday (July 31) to contain its worst coronavirus outbreak in months as fresh cases were reported in two more parts of the country including the sprawling megacity of Chongqing.

The highly contagious Delta variant has already been confirmed in the capital Beijing and four other provinces, prompting mass testing and putting more than one million people under lockdown. 

The National Health Commission (NHC) said there were 55 new cases as of Friday, including 30 local ones, compared with 21 the previous day. There were no new deaths.

The other 25 cases were imported infections originating overseas.

A majority of the local cases were reported in eastern Jiangsu province, the authority said.

More than 200 infections nationwide have been linked to a Delta cluster in Jiangsu, where cleaners at an airport in the city of Nanjing first tested positive on July 20.

The outbreak is geographically the largest in several months, challenging China’s aggressive containment efforts, which have relied on mass testing, lockdowns and swift contact tracing.

The new cases reported on Saturday in Fujian province and Chongqing included one patient who visited the tourist city of Xi’an, Shaanxi province, and an international cargo crew member at Xiamen Airlines who recently travelled from abroad, authorities said.

State media footage broadcast on Saturday showed residents of Chongqing, a municipality that is home to more than 30 million people, queueing up for virus tests.

Authorities in one city district ordered emergency mass testing late on Friday for people who had visited venues linked to confirmed cases.

Nanjing city authorities ordered all tourist attractions and cultural venues not to open on Saturday, prompted by the spike in domestic transmissions.

Hundreds of thousands have already been locked down in Jiangsu province, while Nanjing has tested all 9.2 million residents twice.

China has previously boasted of its success in snuffing out the pandemic within its borders after imposing the world’s first virus lockdown in early 2020 as Covid-19 seeped out of Wuhan, then the disease’s epicentre of the country.

But an outbreak this month driven by the fast-spreading Delta variant has thrown that record into jeopardy, potentially dampening China’s summer tourist season and holiday consumption.

The tourist city of Zhangjiajie in Hunan province, where a handful of cases attended a single theatre performance, locked down all 1.5 million residents and shut all tourist attractions on Friday, according to an official notice.

At least 18 cases have been traced back to the city, the state tabloid Global Times reported. Famed for its striking rock formations, the city is where part of the Avatar blockbuster was filmed.

In Beijing’s Changping district, where two locally transmitted cases have been found, 41,000 people in nine housing communities were placed under lockdown on Thursday.

China’s top disciplinary watchdog has blamed Nanjing airport officials for “poor supervision and unprofessional management” including not separating cleaning staff who worked on international flights from those on domestic flights.

Most of the early Nanjing patients had been vaccinated, a senior doctor in the city was quoted as saying by local media last week, leading online users to question the efficacy of domestic vaccines.

More than 1.6 billion vaccine doses have so far been administered nationwide as of Friday, the NHC said. It does not provide figures of how many people have been fully vaccinated.

Health officials have said they are aiming for 80 per cent of the population to be fully vaccinated by year-end.

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2021-07-31 07:49:08Z
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Record 17786 Covid-19 cases for Malaysia; walk-in vaccinations to begin in Klang Valley - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's Health Ministry reported 17,786 coronavirus cases on Saturday (July 31), a record number of infections.

The total number of cases in the country since the start of the pandemic rose to 1,113,272.

As the urgency to inoculate the population heightens, National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin said walk-in vaccinations will now start on Aug 2 instead of Aug 1.

Walk-in vaccinations in the Klang Valley will begin on Aug 2 and will cater to those above 40 and people with co-morbidities first.

Mr Khairy said that walk-in vaccinations will start to open for those above the age of 18 on Aug 5.

"To avoid any fake news, not all vaccination centres (PPVs) will receive walk-ins," he said at a press conference on Saturday (July 31).

He added that the list of vaccination centres open for walk-ins will be issued by the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) on Saturday.

He added that the walk-in vaccinations will be on a "first-come-first-serve" basis that will depend on the PPV's capacity.

"We will inform the public of the capacity of the PPV on any given day. Those who did not receive the vaccine on that day, will be prioritised on the next day," he said.

Mr Khairy also said the walk-in vaccinations will cater to those who have not received an appointment yet, those who previously cancelled their vaccination appointment and those who have not registered, among others.

"We are confident that by tomorrow, 99 per cent of adults in the Klang Valley will receive their appointments," he said, adding that the walk-in vaccinations will be to "mop-up" those who are the outliers.

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2021-07-31 08:09:55Z
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Protesters in downtown Kuala Lumpur demand PM Muhyiddin's resignation - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Several hundred protesters marched peacefully in Kuala Lumpur's city centre on Saturday (July 31) to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Roads around Merdeka Square, where National Day parades were often held, have been sealed off as protesters dressed in black took to the streets. The demonstration was organised by a coalition of youth and civil society groups, called the Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (People's Solidarity Secretariat).

Some brought mock corpses wrapped in white cloth to symbolise the high number of daily Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia, in a criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic.

The coalition is also calling for a full parliamentary sitting and automatic bank loan moratoriums to ease hardship fuelled by the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown.

Traffic police and plainclothes police were seen standing by at the scene, The Star reported. Some marshals donning white safety hats and medics wearing red safety hats were also present.

City police chief Azmi Abu Kassim warned that those who violated Covid-19 health protocols would face police action.

According to The Star, the Commissioner, Datuk Azmi, said the police have not received any application or notice from the organising committee of the proposed gathering.

District police said on Saturday that they would call up the organisers and those who took part in the rally.

"Under the Movement Control Order, no public assemblies are allowed including social gatherings, and sports activities," Mohamad Zainal Abdullah, police chief for Dang Wangi district, told a news conference.

He said police estimated at least 400 people attended the rally.

Youth activist Sarah Irdina, 20, said she was detained for nearly 11 hours, two days ago, over her Twitter posts about the planned protest.

"This failed government's inhumane treatment of those that fight for a better Malaysia is what keeps hurting us Malaysians, when their job is supposedly to protect us. This is why we #lawan (fight)," she wrote on Twitter on Friday (July 30).

The protest comes as PM Muhyiddin faces a constitutional crisis amid pressure to step down after clashing with the King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah.

The palace on Thursday insisted that the King did not endorse the government’s unilateral move to withdraw the ordinances under the state of emergency which he proclaimed in January. The state of emergency is due to expire on Sunday.

There had been calls, even from Mr Muhyiddin’s own allies in Umno party, for him to quit.

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2021-07-31 07:39:19Z
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Protesters gather in downtown Kuala Lumpur to demand PM Muhyiddin's resignation - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - About 200 to 300 protesters gathered in Kuala Lumpur's city centre on Saturday (July 31) morning to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Roads around Dataran Merdeka have been sealed off as protesters dressed in black took to the streets in a demonstration organised by a coalition of youth and civil society groups, called the Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat.

The coalition is also calling for a full parliamentary sitting and automatic bank loan moratoriums to ease hardship fuelled by the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown.

Traffic police and plainclothes police were seen standing by at the scene, The Star reported. Some marshals donning white safety hats and medics wearing red safety hats were also present.

City police chief Azmi Abu Kassim warned that those who violated Covid-19 safety protocols would face police action.

According to The Star, the Commissioner, Datuk Azmi, said the police have not received any application or notice from the organising committee of the proposed gathering.

The protest comes as PM Muhyiddin faces a constitutional crisis amid pressure to step down after clashing with the King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah.

The palace on Thursday insisted that the King did not endorse the government’s unilateral move to withdraw the ordinances under the state of emergency which he proclaimed in January. It is due to expire on Sunday.

There were calls, even from Mr Muhyiddin’s own allies, for him to quit.

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2021-07-31 03:44:15Z
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China reports 55 new Covid-19 cases as Delta variant spreads in Nanjing - The Straits Times

BEIJING (REUTERS, AFP) - China reported on Saturday (July 31) 55 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for July 30, compared with 64 cases a day earlier, the health authority said.

The National Health Commission said in a statement 30 of the new infections were local cases, compared with 21 the previous day. There were no new deaths.

A majority of the local cases were reported in Jiangsu province, the authority said. 

More than 200 infections nationwide have been linked to a cluster in eastern Jiangsu province, where nine cleaners at an international airport in the city of Nanjing tested positive on July 20.

The Nanjing city authorities ordered all tourist attractions and cultural venues not to open on Saturday, prompted by the spike in domestic transmissions.

Hundreds of thousands have already been locked down in Jiangsu province, while Nanjing has tested all 9.2 million residents twice.

The tourist city of Zhangjiajie in Hunan province, where a handful of cases attended a single theatre performance, locked down all 1.5 million residents and shut all tourist attractions on Friday, according to an official notice.

Famed for its striking rock formations, the city is where part of the Avatar blockbuster was filmed.

In Beijing's Changping district, where two locally transmitted cases have been found, 41,000 people in nine housing communities were placed under lockdown on Thursday.

China has previously boasted of its success in snuffing out the pandemic within its borders after imposing the world's first virus lockdown in early last year as Covid-19 seeped out of Wuhan in the centre of the country.

But an outbreak this month driven by the fast-spreading Delta variant has thrown that record into jeopardy.

As of July 30, mainland China had a total of 92,930 confirmed coronavirus cases. China’s death toll from the coronavirus remained unchanged at 4,636.

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2021-07-31 02:10:21Z
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