Malaysia: More curbs as virus tally tops 4,000 again

JAKARTA, Indonesia

Malaysia’s daily COVID-19 case count crossed the 4,000-mark for the second time in less than a week on Wednesday.

A total of 4,008 more infections have pushed the country’s total to 169,379, top health official Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a news conference.

The figure was just shy of the 4,029 cases reported this past Saturday.

Malaysia’s death toll increased by 11 over the past day to reach 630, while 2,374 more recoveries raised the total to 127,662.

The number of active cases in the country now stands at 41,087, the official said.

The surge in cases was led by Selangor state with 1,391 infections.

The government has decided to expand coronavirus restrictions in the country, with movement curbs set to come into force in six more states – Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Terengganu, and Perlis – from Friday.

Ismail Sabri Yaakob, senior minister in charge of security, said the decision was taken on the Health Ministry’s advice.

A state of emergency was declared in Malaysia earlier this month and strict measures remain in place in the entire country, except Sarawak state, including movement restrictions in federal territories and five other states since Jan. 13.

* Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian-language service in Jakarta.