Number of new cases drop in Malaysia
Zero new cases in 7 states.
Image adapted from: Wikimedia Commons & Wikimedia Commons
Malaysia may have surpassed the 5,000 mark in COVID-19 cases, but the increasing number has got nothing on our impressive 50% recovery rate.
On top of that, there have been numerous signs that the efforts of the extended Movement Control Order (MCO) have been fruitful, as Malaysia has reported no new COVID-19 cases in 7 states and 2 Federal Territories. Not to mention, 3 Perak districts have since been reclassified from Yellow to Green Zones.
Penang, Melaka & Perak among states with no new cases
On 16th April 2020, Malay Mail reported that Penang, Melaka, Perak, Sabah, Terengganu and Kelantan recorded zero new cases. Likewise, Putrajaya and Labuan also saw no increase in COVID-19 patients.
The news came on the first day of Phase 3 of the MCO. It’s slated to end on 28th April, but now sees much stricter measures in terms of roadblock checks and legal action on MCO violators.
Kampar is among the 3 new Green Zones in Perak. Although classified Green Zones, residents in these areas are advised not to break MCO orders.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
To add to the positive news of zero cases recorded for half of Malaysia, Perak in particular has also declared 3 new Green Zones in Muallim, Kuala Kangsar and Kampar. According to The Star, the previously classified Yellow Zones (below 20 cases each) recorded no increase in cases for the past 14 days.
Work still needed with 28 Red Zones present
Yesterday (16 Apr), The Star reported that Kota Kinabalu joined the list of Red Zones that have over 40 cases each. This brings up the total number of COVID-19 hot spots to 28 in Malaysia, which goes to show that public cooperation is still needed to come out on top of the virus.
Meanwhile, populous states such as Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Johor have still been seeing increases in the number of cases.
Image credit: Bernama
Meanwhile, there has been a dramatic increase in arrests made on MCO violators. Nearly 15,000 arrests have reportedly been made during the first 2 phases of the MCO. More seem to be cropping up each day as these individuals are getting restless with the extension of the MCO.
Positive outlook for MCO efforts
The MCO may have been extended twice over the course of the last month, but its efforts are proving to be fruitful. Zero new cases since the “lockdown” mimics the success of China lowering its COVID-19 numbers.
Defying MCO orders may seem like a non-issue for those who’re tired of staying at home. But you’ll likely get sent straight to court for being out without a valid excuse, not to mention risk reversing the 24/7 efforts of frontliners like healthcare workers and police officers over the past month.
By staying at home, we can hope to see zero increases in COVID-19 cases in more states in Malaysia.
Read the latest news on COVID-19 in Malaysia here: