Two more buildings put under lockdown and 9 news from yesterday

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

1. Two more residential flats in Kuala Lumpur – Selangor Mansion (photo, above) and Malayan Mansion – have been placed under an enhanced movement control order until all residents have been tested for Covid-19.

2. Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa said the government is considering to relocate the residents of the two flats to quarantine centres due to the cramped conditions there. The Kuala Lumpur City Hall will seek help from the High Commissions of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to relay information to foreign nationals living in the Masjid India area, where the flats are also located.

3. Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said hotels have agreed to an RM150 rate to house people under quarantine, except for those who want to be quarantined in five-star hotels, who would have to foot the bill themselves.

4. Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah spoke of a cautionary tale where a private hospital discharged a Covid-19 patient on basis of a test that is incapable of detecting the early stages of an infection. The patient then infected her family members and five, including she herself, have died.

5. The prime minister’s special advisor on public health Dr Jemilah Mahmood said social distancing measures would still be needed for at least six months after the movement control order is lifted, while Ismail Sabri said the government may relax restrictions, based on the number of cases in each district.

6. Malaysiakini has found that some people have been mistaken as being homeless and have been sent to shelters, but are now unable to leave until the movement control order is lifted.

7. A review of scientific literature has found facemasks to be only modestly effective - at best protecting against respiratory illnesses in community settings - while the World Health Organization reiterated that medical-grade masks, which are already in short supply, must be prioritised for healthcare workers.

8. Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar said the system for distributing Bantuan Prihatin Nasional aid needs to be overhauled, after finding that he has been automatically enrolled to receive the money.

9. The contest for Bersatu presidency will see a straight fight between the incumbent Muhyiddin Yassin and his challenger Mukhriz Mahathir.

10. Technocrat Zakri Khir has joined a string of departures from government agencies since the Perikatan Nasional-led government took over, after resigning as Social Security Organisation (Socso) chairperson.