There has been intense speculation on a potential tightening of restrictions similar to that seen during the first movement control order (MCO) in March last year in view of Covid-19 cases and deaths rising rapidly over the past week. Only essential services were allowed to operate during that time.

Health minister Dr Adham Baba has revealed they had considered a “full-scale MCO” for Selangor which has a high incidence of cases.

However, de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan said today the National Security Council will meet tomorrow to discuss the possibility of a more comprehensive nationwide lockdown.

In a statement, the Federation of Malaysian Business Associations (FMBA) said “extreme moments like this call for extreme actions” and that businesses are “ready to bite the bullet” to protect the health of the country so long as economic aid measures are offered by the government.

These measures must include establishing a single agency to handle financial support, an automatic zero-interest loan moratorium for all businesses and people, and another round of wage subsidies, the group said.

FMBA also said the government should provide subsidies for utility costs and include the business community when setting proactive SOPs.

“We can rebuild our economy, recoup our income and educate our children only if we are alive,” it added.

Despite already being under a nationwide MCO, Malaysia has set record highs for new infections and deaths multiple times over the past week, with today’s figure of 6,806 new cases being the highest since the pandemic began.