Control order extension to be decided and 9 news from yesterday

KINI ROUNDUP | Here are key headlines you may have missed yesterday, in brief.

1. The National Security Council will decide on March 30 on whether the movement control order needs to be extended. Epidemiologist Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud said six weeks may be needed for the order to be effective due to the recent mass gatherings.

2. Staff at some hospitals have improvised their own protective equipment as supplies dwindle. Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said this was a distribution issue and is being addressed.

3. Testing for Covid-19 costs RM700 per person and is available free for everyone who meets the testing criteria, including foreigners. A KiniGuide explains how it’s done.

4. Malaysia has recorded 212 new Covid-19 cases and four new deaths – the highest single-day increase for both figures. Meanwhile, 20 people have recovered, including Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii and two Suhakam commissioners.

5. Amid conflicting directives on whether to wear surgical masks in public, Noor Hisham said social distancing would be adequate for community settings and the masks should be reserved for healthcare workers.

6. Supermarkets have announced new operating hours, while public transport providers will begin limiting services from tomorrow (Wednesday).

7. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has announced another RM500 million to boost the Health Ministry’s efforts to fight Covid-19. The ministry has opened a special bank account to receive public donations.

8. The government will allow Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributors to dip into their savings, but the move has drawn criticism from Pakatan Harapan and the MTUC.

9. Soup kitchens have reopened with help from police to enforce social distancing, but the visually impaired still struggle to cope with the movement control order.

10. Isma has joined several groups in filing a legal suit challenging the validity of vernacular schools in Malaysia.