Businesses allowed to operate during MCO can stay open until 10 pm from Jan 29
All businesses permitted to operate during the Movement Control Order (MCO) can stay open until 10pm from tomorrow, said Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob. He said that among them are sundry shops, convenience stores, pharmacies, pet shops, laundrettes and optical shops. Previously, these businesses were only allowed to operate until 8pm. Apart from that, Ismail Sabri said the forestry and timber sectors and all operations involving logging will operate as usual from tomorrow. In the meantime, he said the government was also drafting an amendment to the Emergency Ordinance to raise the amount of compound on individuals and companies found flouting the standard operating procedure (SOP) during the MCO. He urged the public to be more disciplined in adhering to stipulated instructions and not wait until the authorities took action. (Bernama)
Residence management allowed to ask for Covid-19 test before allowing entry
The management of condominiums or apartments are allowed to request residents to undergo Covid-19 tests and provide the results before letting them enter their units, says Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. He said condominiums or apartments could introduce this requirement to ensure the safety of other residents. He said the government had no problem if the residence management wanted to impose such regulations though there was no such policy from the National Security Council (NSC). Property management experts have criticised several condominiums for requiring their residents to get tested for Covid-19. Ng Wei Aik, a registered property manager and former Tanjong MP, told malaysiakini that there were no laws in Malaysia that allowed property management to bar residents from entering. Such measures are considered as denying an owner’s right to the property, he said. (The Star Online)
Malaysia ranked 29th for number of Covid-19 cases worldwide
Malaysia is currently in the 29th spot in the list of countries with the highest number of Covid-19 infections in a two-week period as at Jan 25, according to data from the US-based Johns Hopkins University. Among Asean countries, Malaysia is second after Indonesia with 48,625 cases and a four-digit hike in daily cases in the two-week period under review. Malaysia also recorded the second highest cumulative Covid-19 cases per one million population in Asean – 5,773 – but is behind Singapore with 10,145 cases. According to data from the New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI), 83 countries including Malaysia are facing an exponential rise in Covid-19 cases, requiring “serious action” to break the chain of infection, it said. Health experts said the surge in cases could have been caused by the new Covid-19 strain but other factors such as the level of restriction and public compliance also play a part. (The Star Online)
Malaysia drops six spots to 57th position in Corruption Perceptions Index
Malaysia dropped six spots to 57th position among 180 countries in the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2020. Transparency International Malaysia president Dr Muhammad Mohan said Malaysia’s score also deteriorated to 51 out of 100 points on the CPI survey. “We may have dropped by two points which is statistically insignificant, but the drop in score and position is a cause of concern. We need to improve and I am sure we can do better than countries like Rwanda, Poland and so forth,” he said. The CPI was released by Transparency International, the global anti-corruption coalition. The CPI scores and ranks are based on 13 surveys and expert assessments which measure the perceived level of corruption in the country’s public sector on a scale from zero (perceived to be highly corrupted) to 100 (perceived to be very clean). Denmark and New Zealand were in the top spot of ‘clean countries’ with 88 points each, while Syria, South Sudan and Somalia were at the bottom rung with 14, 12 and 12 points respectively. Within ASEAN, Singapore is in top position followed by Brunei (35th) and Malaysia (57th). The only country from Asia to be in the top 10 list is Singapore. (Bernama)
MCMC will respond to complaints on broadband connectivity within 24 hours
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will respond by sending its officers to areas facing broadband connectivity problems within 24 hours upon receiving the complaints. MCMC chairman Dr Fadhlullah Suhaimi Abdul Malek said by doing so, MCMC could check and really look into the problems in the areas and also contact the complainants for further input. He said the complaints mostly came via MCMC’s website and complaint channels, apart from the team’s daily monitoring of user complaints on social media and media reports. However, he said the duration for the problems to be solved may differ according to the situation. (Bernama)
