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Malaysia starts two-week isolation to rein in coronavirus

三月 18, 2020
Source:  © 2020 New Straits Times

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By Reuters - March 18, 2020 @ 10:25am

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia went into a two-week partial lockdown on Wednesday after coronavirus infections in the country spiked to the highest in Southeast Asia, with some buyers rushing to supermarkets to stock up on essentials like instant noodles.

 

Malaysia and the Philippines, which has quarantined about half its 107 million population, have imposed the toughest restrictions on movements of people in Southeast Asia, causing early confusion and chaos, though capital markets in both countries will stay open.

 

Most roads in Kuala Lumpur are free from heavy traffic as the Restricted Movement Order takes effect. - NSTP/ASWADI ALIAS.
Most roads in Kuala Lumpur are free from heavy traffic as the Restricted Movement Order takes effect. - NSTP/ASWADI ALIAS.

 

 

 

Hours before the movement curbs kicked in at midnight in Malaysia, thousands of people queued up at bus stations to go back to their hometowns. Hordes of Malaysians who commute daily to Singapore for work crossed the border to spend the next two weeks there.

 

Roads in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, normally some of the most congested in Southeast Asia on weekdays, were largely clear on Wednesday morning. Some cafes and restaurants opened, but customers were allowed only takeaway food.

 

The road along Sultan Abdul Samad building is empty compared to normal working days in Kuala Lumpur. - NSTP/ROHANIS SHUKRI
The road along Sultan Abdul Samad building is empty compared to normal working days in Kuala Lumpur. - NSTP/ROHANIS SHUKRI

 

 

 

Big supermarket chains such as Mydin put in measures including special shopping slots and cashier lanes for the elderly and disabled and limited the purchases of staples such as rice, flour, cooking oil, hand sanitisers and disinfectants.

 

A view of the LRT train which are normally packed during peak hours in Kuala Lumpur. - NSTP/HAIRUL ANUAR RAHIM
A view of the LRT train which are normally packed during peak hours in Kuala Lumpur. - NSTP/HAIRUL ANUAR RAHIM

 

 

 

"People coming and rushing is still going to see the disease spread, said Ahmad Fauzi, 60, who had been up early to shop to avoid the crowds. "They should be more calm."

 

Malaysia reported its first two coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, including a man who attended a mass Muslim gathering linked to nearly two-thirds of the country's 673 infections.

 

Several customers at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, are seen taking away food that they had purchased. - NSTP/MOHAMAD SHAHRIL BADRI SAALI
Several customers at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, are seen taking away food that they had purchased. - NSTP/MOHAMAD SHAHRIL BADRI SAALI

 

 

 

Mydin Managing Director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin told Reuters that supply was adequate at his chain of store but that "people must understand that they cannot be too selective".

 

The government of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who took office only this month, has assured there is enough stock of essentials for the country of 32 million people.

 

A notice of closure is place at the front gate of the Jamek mosque in Kuala Lumpur. - NSTP/HAIRUL ANUAR RAHIM
A notice of closure is place at the front gate of the Jamek mosque in Kuala Lumpur. - NSTP/HAIRUL ANUAR RAHIM

 

 

 

He has shut Malaysia's borders for travellers, restricted internal movement, closed schools and universities and ordered non-essential businesses to stay out.

 

Neighbouring Thailand has announced the closure of schools, bars, movie theatres, cockfighting arenas and other entertainment centres. -- Reuters