Ramping up testing for Covid-19 and 9 news from yesterday

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

1. Taking cues from South Korea, Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Malaysia is increasing its capacity to test for Covid-19 infections in the coming weeks and has already prepared more than 3,000 hospital beds.

2. However, Noor Hisham cautioned the people against using Covid-19 rapid test kits sold on the market, saying that doing so without a doctor’s advice could lead to the results being misinterpreted.

3. The number of Covid-19 deaths in Malaysia has climbed to 16, while a police officer died after fainting while enforcing the movement control order. Noor Hisham urged people with symptoms of Covid-19 to come early for treatment to increase their odds of survival.

4. All passengers of the No 9173 Electric Train Service (ETS) coach have been urged to come forward for testing if they show Covid-19 symptoms, after one passenger died of the disease on Sunday.

5. Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong has exempted drivers from renewing their licences for the duration of the movement control order, while Bank Negara instructed banks to grant a six-month moratorium on all loan and financing payments except credit card balances.

6. Kuala Lumpur City Hall amended its instruction requiring people to wear face masks while shopping. Instead, it said, the people are merely ‘encouraged’ to do so.

7. International Trade and Industry Minister Azmin Ali is leading a special task force to safeguard food supplies, as farmers are forced to destroy their produce in face of transportation problems.

8. Gardenia Bakeries said it’s factory is already at maximum production and is delivering as usual, urging people to only buy what they need. Sundry shop owners claimed distributors were channelling supplies to major supermarkets chains.

9. Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s 1MDB trial will resume in April, if there is no extension of the movement control order, while his former deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s corruption trial will resume on April 13.

10. The Tokyo Olympics 2020 has been postponed to next year in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.