Malaysia Morning News For March 23, 2020

Malaysia Reports 123 New Coronavirus Cases, Total at 1,306
Malaysia reported 123 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the total to 1,306 cases, with 10 deaths.
— US News

Give 10 million donated face masks to Malaysians, says Kit Siang
The government has been urged to distribute the 10 million face masks from China free to Malaysians, giving priority to the frontliners in the war against Covid-19 virus.
— The Sun Daily

Covid-19: How many small Malaysian businesses, jobs will be lost?
COVID-19 kills people and fuels fear. It cripples businesses and shrinks bank accounts.
— New Straits Times

Almost 50,000 law enforcers help monitor MCO compliance – Ismail Sabri
Almost 50,000 law enforcers comprising Armed Forces, police, RELA, and local authorities’ personnel are out to ensure public compliance of the Movement Control Order announced by the government to flatten the infection curve of Covid-19.
— The Borneo Post

Hope for a ‘new’ Malaysia derailed by old politics — at least for now
Malaysia has experienced a dramatic political transition with conservative political parties returning to government.
— AEC News Today

Volunteers ferry, house Indian nationals stranded in KLIA2 after border closed
Several lawyers and volunteers lent a hand to 300 Indian nationals who were starving and stranded at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) yesterday following the closure of Indian borders due to Covid-19.
— Malay Mail

UOB Malaysia offers relief measures due to Covid-19
United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (UOB Malaysia) is providing relief measures such as flexible repayments to its customers in Malaysia affected by the outbreak of Covid-19.
— The Star Online

Malaysia shows spirit of Asean solidarity by bringing home Singaporeans, Indonesian
Malaysia has again shown its concern and ability in managing the welfare of its stricken citizens overseas after successfully repatriating 46 people stranded in Tehran, Iran following the Covid-19 pandemic.
— Malay Mail

Stage bus, regional bus services to cease temporarily during MCO, says Lee Kim Shin
All the bus operators in Sarawak will temporarily cease their bus services starting tomorrow in line with the current Movement Control Order (MCO) implementation.
— The Borneo Post

Logistics, transport services for makers of essential products allowed to operate: Azmin
Logistics and transportation services for companies involved in important and critical product manufacturing sectors are allowed to operate during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period.
— The Sun Daily

Bank Islam employee tests positive for Covid-19 but no service disruption at HQ
An employee of Bank Islam has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus and is undergoing treatment at a government hospital.The bank said the employee, who was based at Menara Bank Islam, had been under home quarantine along with his family since March 19.
— The Sun Daily

Panic buying causes temporary suspension of online grocery deliveries
Malaysian consumers’ panic buying has resulted in the temporary suspension of online grocery delivery services amid fears of the Covid-19 outbreak and the 14-day Movement Control Order (MCO).
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia’s frustrated ‘No. 2’ leaders pull off political coup
But future for Muhyiddin and Azmin remains murky in country’s Byzantine politics.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Putrajaya bought face masks from China, says minister
Malaysia made a direct purchase of face masks from factories in China, said Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong today.
— FMT

Covid-19: Malaysia’s 10th victim is also Penang’s first
GEORGE TOWN: The 74-year-old man who died on Sunday (March 22) marked the first Covid-19 fatality in the state.
— The Star Online

Recalibrate stimulus package into livelihood fund, unions propose amid Covid-19 pandemic
The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has called on the government to recalibrate the economic stimulus package into a livelihood fund to lessen the economic hardship of the working class as its main focus.
— Malay Mail

Evacuation from Iran: Singapore expresses deepest appreciation to Malaysia
The Singapore government expressed its deepest appreciation to the Malaysian government and the Embassy of Malaysia in Tehran for accepting its request to help evacuate the Singaporeans from Iran, according to the.
— Malay Mail

ATMs, other self-service terminals to be fully operational, says Bank Negara
Financial self-service terminals such as ATMs, cash, cheque and coin deposit machines will be fully operational in accessible locations just like premises and locations not affected by the movement control order (MCO), says Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
— The Sun Daily

Covid-19: Illegal migrants at tabligh event can test without fear
The government has reiterated its call to everyone, including undocumented migrants, who attended the tabligh gathering at Sri Petaling Mosque last month to voluntarily come forward and screen for Covid-19.
— The Star Online

In Penang, cops to increase security at hospitals together with army
The police, with the assistance of the Armed Forces, will set up a mobile police station at government hospitals in the state as a safety measure.
— Malay Mail

DBKU orders roadside stalls, home tuck shops to close in compliance with MCO
Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) is ordering the closure of all roadside stalls and home tuck shops in compliance with the Local Government and Housing ministry’s directive in letter headed MLGH/PH/21JLD 7 (20) dated Mar 20.
— The Borneo Post

Aspirasi supports govt’s move to deploy armed forces personnel to assist police in enforcing MCO
Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) supports the government’s move to deploy armed forces personnel to assist the police in enforcing the Movement Control Order (MCO).
— The Borneo Post

Have an idea to alleviate economic impact of Covid-19? Here’s your chance to tell Putrajaya
The government has established a specific platform for members of the public and those in the private sector to give input on how best to mitigate the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
— Malay Mail

Mita Travel fair goes online
The Malaysia Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) Travel Fair has been rebranded as the Mita e-Travel Fair 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
— The Sun Daily

Come forward so we can take care of you, Putrajaya says as 4,000 tabligh event attendees still untested
The government urged the remaining thousands of Tabligh event attendees, which became the biggest cluster of positive Covid-19 cases in the country, to come forward and assured the authorities will not focus on their.
— Malay Mail

Unimas allocates RM1 mln to implement measures to curb the spread of Covid-19
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) has allocated RM1 million to implement measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.
— The Borneo Post

Sarawak party supports deployment of armed forces in Covid-19 MCO
Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (ASPIRASI) supports the move by the federal government to deploy armed forces personnel to assist the police to enforce the movement control order (MCO) to curb the spread of coronavirus.
— Malay Mail

Senior Minister: Govt to decide on lower ceiling price for face mask after backlash
The government will meet tomorrow to decide on a lower ceiling price for a three-ply face mask said Malaysia Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob today.
— Malay Mail

Reduced hours at CIQS at Sabah-Sarawak border for MCO (corrected)
The Customs Immigration Quarantine and Security (CIQS) at Sindumin-Merapok on the borders of Sabah and Sarawak will only operate from 6am to 8pm daily until further notice.
— The Star Online

Doctor is Malaysia’s ninth Covid-19 fatality, first death among health personnel
Malaysia has recorded its ninth Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) death, says Ministry of Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
— The Borneo Post

Penang to supply hand sanitisers, thermometers to community, says Chow
The Penang state government will be supplying hand sanitisers, thermometers and other items to certain sectors in the community next week as part of its strategy to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), Chow.
— Malay Mail

Health DG: Kuching records 30 Covid-19 cases, third highest in East Malaysia
Kuching had recorded the third highest number of Covid-19 cases in East Malaysia at 30 as of noon yesterday, Health Director General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah revealed.
— The Borneo Post

46 Malaysians safely repatriated from Iran
Forty-six Malaysian nationals and nine citizens of her neighbouring countries have been repatriated from Iran today through the third Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission following the Covid-19 outbreak.
— The Sun Daily

Annuar urges supporters to stop blame games accusing Pakatan of not acting early on Covid-19
Tan Sri Annuar Musa today called for calm among critics who have been lambasting Pakatan Harapan (PH) for allegedly failing to act early in containing the Covid-19 outbreak here.
— Malay Mail

Special aircraft on evacuation mission from Tehran arrives in KLIA
The special flight carrying Malaysian nationals from Tehran, Iran, one of the countries which have been severely infected by the Covid-19 outbreak, arrived safely at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang early today.
— The Sun Daily

Give away 10m masks from China to public for free after frontliners, Kit Siang tells Putrajaya
DAP’s Lim Kit Siang has urged Putrajaya today to distribute the 10 million face masks imported from China to the public for free, after first giving priority to the frontliners.
— Malay Mail

Rapid KL service revised due to movement control order
Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd, the operator of Rapid KL rail network in the Klang Valley, has revised its service frequency following the implementation of the Movement Control Order, which runs until March 31.
— The Sun Daily

11 quarantine centres to begin operation in federal territories tomorrow
FT minister Annuar Musa says the National Disaster Management Agency and the health ministry will manage the transfer of quarantined individuals to these centres.
— FMT News

Malaysians stranded in Indonesia told to check flight schedules
Malaysians who travelled to Indonesia before the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18, are told to directly contact Malaysia Airlines (MAS) or AirAsia for information on flight schedules.
— The Borneo Post

Husbands clueless with groceries? Sabah Info Dept shares tips to essential pantry items
A common stereotype is men cannot be trusted with grocery shopping, as patriarchal mainstream gender roles have caused them to be unfamiliar with cooking and therefore food items and produce.
— Malay Mail

Thousands of Catholics, Anglicans and Methodists follow online Sunday masses via live-streaming
Thousands of Catholics, Anglicans and Methodists follow the online Sunday masses via Facebook and Youtube live-streaming this morning.
— The Borneo Post

Sharp drop in crime cases during movement control order, says Penang police chief
There has been a sharp drop in criminal cases since the implementation of the movement control order (MCO), said Penang Police Chief Comm Datuk Sahabudin Abd Manan.
— Malay Mail

In Penang, crowds continue to gather at Air Itam market despite closure of roadside stalls
Crowds continued to gather at the Air Itam market as early as 6am today despite the closure of all roadside stalls surrounding the market.
— Malay Mail

Do’s and don’ts of social distancing
What does social distancing mean, and what can we do in order to curb the spread of Covid-19? Read on to see the various levels of social distancing and the do’s and don’ts that we’ll need to practice to get through this together as a society.
— The Borneo Post

Feature photo Bernama

This week’s Malaysia morning news feature photo focuses on COVID-19 in Asean.

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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