JOHOR BAHRU: Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar has called for the Malaysian government to consider “a full lockdown” if the number of COVID-19 cases in the country continue to rise.

Sultan Ibrahim released the statement on Wednesday (May 26) evening, the same day the country reported 7,478 new coronavirus cases, its highest daily rise in infections since the start of the pandemic.

The country has logged more than 6,000 new cases daily for eight consecutive days as it struggles to contain a third wave of COVID-19.

“Over 7,400 cases alone today. This is frightening and we need almost all facets of society to stay home to break the chain of infection. The virus is spread through the mingling of people,” said Sultan Ibrahim.

He added that Malaysians must be disciplined enough and practise “self-lockdown” or risk getting infected unknowingly.

“Therefore, there must be discipline across the board for all levels of society to commit to a lockdown to prevent the worst from happening to all of us. The government should consider a full lockdown as well, if COVID-19 numbers show no sign of abating,” said Sultan Ibrahim.

“Let’s swallow the bitter pill now, instead of suffering continuously in limbo,” he added.

The government had earlier implemented a nationwide movement control order (MCO) until Jun 7 to curb the spread of the pandemic but some people have expressed frustration that economic sectors were still permitted to operate.

Furthermore, 60 per cent of workers in the private sectors as well as 20 per cent in the public sector were allowed to work in offices.

READ: Johor sultan calls for state elected representatives to meet over COVID-19 amid emergency status

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has warned that a full COVID-19 lockdown, like MCO 1.0 implemented in March 2020 with all sectors shut, would guarantee people’s safety, but there is a risk that the economy could collapse.

Mr Muhyiddin said: “If we need to do it again (and roll out economic assistance), we need more money. RM340 billion will not be enough because the impact is worse. I would need to set aside half a trillion. But do we have half a trillion?”

“That is why we have learnt over the last year, we cannot close the economy. We have to balance life and livelihoods … I think life is important because I do not want people to die because of our or their carelessness. But I also do not want our economy to collapse to a point where people have no money to eat,” he added.

READ: ‘Prepare for the worst’ – Record 7,289 new COVID-19 cases in Malaysia as hospital ICUs struggle with surge

REDUCE OUR BURDEN ON FRONTLINERS: SULTAN IBRAHIM 

In his statement on Wednesday, Sultan Ibrahim stressed that it was important for “all levels of society” to commit to a self-lockdown for the sake of frontliners, especially medical staff, who he said have to “bear the brunt of the virus’ onslaught”.

“We can see for ourselves their exhaustion and depression, yet they diligently stick to their duties and tasks. Remember, COVID-19 is not the only disease they have to deal with,” said Sultan Ibrahim.

“Have pity on them. We must all do our part to reduce the burden on them and break the chain of infection for our greater good,” he added.

Sultan Ibrahim added that he also spoke to Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah on Wednesday and received an update on the latest COVID-19 developments.

He said: “The emergence of new variants is also frightening, and the virus is now airborne too. If infections continue to rise, I worry even more variants of COVID-19 will appear.

“In these uncertain times, I also urge those who are able to step forward and help others who have fallen on hard times in any way they can,” added Sultan Ibrahim.

KUALA LUMPUR: The LRT Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur resumed service at 6am on Tuesday (May 25) with trains operating on a single track, Prasarana Malaysia said in a statement, adding that there will also be supporting shuttle bus services.

Services for the Kelana Jaya Line were disrupted on Monday night after two LRT trains collided near KLCC, injuring more than 210 passengers.

Following the incident, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that he has instructed the transport ministry and Prasarana Malaysia to conduct a “full investigation to identify the cause of the accident”. He added that “stern action will be taken immediately”.

In its statement on Tuesday morning, Prasarana Malaysia warned that passengers are expected to wait “a little longer than usual” for trains.

It explained that train frequency would be every 10 minutes for peak hours and every 30 minutes for off-peak, in line with the government decision to reduce capacity for public transport to 50 per cent from Tuesday, as it tightens restrictions for the Movement Control Order 3.0 to curb the spread of COVID-19.

READ: LRT passengers flung by impact of collision: Victims

Prasarana Malaysia said the Kelana Jaya Line is expected to recover fully in three days after all cleaning and recovery work are completed.

It added that it has also taken “proactive steps” to conduct sanitation work in KLCC station and its surrounding areas to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“Prasarana regrets the incident and will continue monitoring developments of passengers involved last night and cooperate fully with the relevant authorities,” the statement said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Passengers on a Kelana Jaya line Light Rail Transit (LRT) train on Monday (May 24) faced a harrowing moment when they were flung by the impact of its collision with another train.

Passenger Afiq Luqman Mohd Baharudin, 27, said the impact of the collision saw everyone being flung and falling to the floor.

“The accident, which happened in the tunnel near KLCC, resulted in many passengers, both seated and standing, to suffer injuries,” he said when contacted.

Aliq Luqman said that before the accident, the train had stopped for 15 minutes before moving again.

“We had only moved for a few seconds when the crash happened and the impact was so strong that I suffered injuries to my head, left leg and chest,” he said.

Afiq Luqman said he and the other passengers were helped out by the security team and rushed to the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital for further treatment.

Meanwhile, some victims took to social media to share their personal experiences of the crash.

Twitter user Lim Mahfudz was one of those who shared videos and photos of the incident, which he had recorded.

Describing the incident as a tragedy, he tweeted that he was all right and thanked God for saving his life, adding that the whole thing felt like a nightmare.

He said some passengers were also injured by the train’s broken glass panels while some were tossed around as the train stopped suddenly (when it hit the emergency brakes).

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 210 people were injured after two LRT trains collided in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (May 24) evening.

Videos and photos of the incident on social media showed broken glass panels and several commuters bleeding.

Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa tweeted that early reports indicated that an LRT carrying passengers collided with another LRT that was “empty”, resulting in passengers being “thrown” and “falling”.

He added that the train with passengers was travelling from Ampang station.

“The incident happened underground of KLCC building. It is understood there are no deaths but there are those who are injured,” he wrote.

Operator for the Kelana Jaya Line, Rapid Rail, tweeted that there was an incident on the line, involving train numbers 40 and 81.

“All injured passengers have been evacuated to the platform. Emergency aid and rescue is ongoing,” the operator added.

In an interview, Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department chief Nordin Md Pauzi confirmed that 47 passengers were seriously injured while 166 people suffered light injuries.

Dang Wangi OCPD Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Zainal Abdullah added that the incident may have occurred “due to a miscommunication at the operations centre” of the LRT line.

“It is learnt that one train, heading from the Kampung Baru station to Gombak, was reportedly being test-driven following a fault to ensure it was on the right track,” he said.

“The train to Gombak that was being driven automatically was carrying 213 passengers while the train from the Kampung Baru Station to Gombak that was faulty, with the exception of its driver, was empty.”

“We will investigate further if the cause of the breakdown is … the result of carelessness or something else, because it involves public safety and many people were injured,” he said.

COLLISION IS THE FIRST ACCIDENT IN 23 YEARS 

Speaking to journalists, Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong noted that the collision is the first accident in 23 years of LRT operations in Malaysia.

He said the ministry would establish a task force and a panel to investigate the cause of the accident.

READ: LRT passengers flung by impact of collision: Victims

“Tomorrow, the director-general of the Land Public Transport Agency will present the initial report to me.

“And in two weeks, this task force will present the investigation report to me. In two weeks we will be able to identify (whether the accident) is caused by error in the system, signalling or communication, or human error,” he said.

Writing on Twitter, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the accident was a “serious” one. He said that he has instructed the Transport Ministry and the rail company Prasarana Malaysia to conduct a “full investigation to identify the cause of the accident”. He added that “stern action will be taken immediately”.

Mr Muhyiddin also said that priority must now be given to passengers who were injured. He said the relevant parties have been instructed to ensure that those who were injured will receive “full treatment”.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia reported a record number of COVID-19 fatalities on Monday (May 24) as well as more than 6,000 new cases for the sixth consecutive day.

All 61 victims were Malaysians, aged 27 to 98. Many of them suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes.

Fifty-five of the victims died in hospital. The health ministry said the remaining six cases were “brought in dead”.

There are also 711 patients in the intensive care unit, another record figure. Of these, 369 require respiratory support.

A total of 2,049 of the 6,509 new cases were found in Selangor.

There were 329 in neighbouring state Negeri Sembilan while both Kuala Lumpur and Johor each reported 468 new cases. Another 530 infections were identified in Sarawak and 384 in Penang.

READ: Malaysia probes allegations of underdosage of COVID-19 shots

READ: 2-hour limit for visits ‘not practical’ to enforce, says Malaysia malls association

Only 20 of the new cases were imported infections, involving 17 citizens and three foreigners.

Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah also announced that 20 new clusters were formed, bringing the national total of active clusters to 570.

Eight of the new clusters are linked to workplaces, six are in the community and three stemmed from religious gatherings.

The remaining three clusters were traced to an education institution, a dialysis centre in Selangor and crew members of a ship docked at the Port of Johor, Pasir Gudang.

READ: Full lockdown would guarantee safety, but Malaysia’s economy could collapse: Muhyiddin on targeted COVID-19 curbs

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

According to the health ministry’s latest forecast, the authorities predict nearly 9,000 new daily infections by early June if COVID-19 safe management measures are not followed.

The health ministry on Monday also reiterated its call for members of the public to stay at home as much as possible for at least two weeks in order to break the COVID-19 chain of transmission.

Those who need to leave their homes for work or to purchase daily necessities should follow the COVID-19 standard operating procedures to protect themselves, said the ministry.

As of Monday, Malaysia reported a total of 518,600 COVID-19 cases, of which 60,018 are currently classified active. The country’s death toll stands at 2,309.

KUALA LUMPUR: A new government directive that shoppers can only spend a maximum of two hours in retail premises is “not practical” to enforce, said the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (PPKM).

This came after the authorities announced on Sunday (May 24) that people should limit their visits to retail premises to two hours. The new rule kicks in on Tuesday.

In a statement on Sunday, the trade body said it fully agreed with limiting shopping time to assist with the tightened movement control measures. However, once shoppers enter a mall, management personnel have no control over where patrons would visit and could not track their movements, said the statement.

Malls could only put up signages at their entrances and common areas, and advise businesses to do the same at their premises, along with announcements to remind shoppers, the statement added.

READ: Record deaths, ICU patients as Malaysia reports more than 6,000 new COVID-19 cases for 6th straight day

“Since the outbreak of this pandemic in 2020, our car parking records have shown that shoppers are already spending 1 to 1.5 hours shorter than the norm of average 3 hours,” PPKM said.

“Apart from this, we opine that it is not practical for anyone to stop a shopper asking to check his or her MySejahtera (contact tracing app) to audit the time of entry nor do we have the authority to do so.”

“We do acknowledge that the authorities are aiming for tighter control but again, such measures must both be practical and doable,” the association stated.

On Monday, Minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Alexander Nanta Linggi said random enforcement checks would be conducted at popular retail outlets to ensure shoppers abided by the two-hour limit.

The minister told reporters said the onus was on the public to practice self-control and reduce their shopping time, as the ministry had a limited number of enforcement officers.

“For the ministry, we have enforcement officers, over 2,200 across the country, we will focus on concentrated areas which have been identified,” he said.

READ: Malaysia probes allegations of underdosage of COVID-19 shots

Pavilion Kuala Lumpur’s chief executive officer Joyce Yap said the mall management has regularly informed and reminded shoppers of the latest standard operating procedures (SOPs) via prominent and strategically placed signages.

“Our SOP Mall Ambassadors also deter large congregations in common areas and ensure that precautionary measures such as contract tracing using Myejahtera app, masks and practicing social distancing are adhered to at all times,” Ms Yap said.

Meanwhile, Mr H C Chan, the chief executive officer for Sunway Malls and Theme Parks said while the intention of the two-hour limit was understood, guidance on effective monitoring by the authorities had to be clearer and more practical for malls to implement.

“Both stay duration and human capacity are much lower and within safe levels. We have already worked with our business partners to ensure each shop states the maximum capacity within their shops,” Mr Chan said.

On Saturday, the government announced tighter restrictions that will kick in on May 25 under the current Movement Control Order (MCO 3.0). These include more people being made to work from home, while business operating hours were reduced to between 8am to 8pm, among others.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in an interview on Sunday that a full COVID-19 lockdown with all sectors shut like what was imposed last year would guarantee people’s safety, but there is a risk that the economy could collapse.

On Monday, Malaysia logged 6,509 new COVID-19 cases. There are now more than 500,000 cases nationwide.

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

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram