[Pandemic] 1 [Malaysia MCO: 6 Key Points]

Let’s stay calm and fight COVID-19 together. In response to the impact of the novel coronavirus, Malaysia announced a “Movement Control Order” (MCO) from March 18 to March 31, effective as of 10:00 PM on March 16 (Malaysia Time; 11:00 PM Japan Time). In short, this means foreigners are prohibited from entering the country, while Malaysian citizens are barred from leaving.

It seems there’s quite a bit of conflicting information out there, which can be a bit confusing. Stay calm, verify the credibility of the information, and proceed thoughtfully.

First, here’s the information from Monday, March 16, 2020.

The Malaysian Prime Minister has announced the implementation of the nationwide “Movement Control Order” from March 18 to March 31 (6 key points):

For more details, call the Crisis Management Center hotline at 03-88882010. (Note: There are reports that the line is often busy or difficult to connect.)

1. A ban has been imposed on numerous events and gatherings nationwide, spanning religion, sports, social activities, and cultural events. To enforce this prohibition, all religious institutions and businesses have been closed, with the exception of supermarkets, public markets, grocery stores, general merchandise shops, and convenience stores. In particular, targeting the Muslim community, all religious activities at mosques—including Friday prayers—have been suspended in accordance with the decision made by the Islamic Sharia Coordination Committee on March 15, 2020.
2. All Malaysians are prohibited from traveling abroad, and those who have just returned from overseas must undergo health screening and undergo a 14-day quarantine (or self-quarantine).
3. Entry restrictions for all tourists and foreign visitors to Malaysia.
4. All kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, and universities—including day schools, boarding schools, international schools, religious schools, and other institutions across all states and both public and private sectors—have been closed.
5. All public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) and skills training centers nationwide are to be closed.
6. All government and private facilities are closed. Exceptions are made for personnel involved in essential services, including water supply, electricity, energy, telecommunications, postal services, transportation, irrigation, oil, gas, fuel, radio, finance, banking, health, pharmaceuticals, fire services, prisons, ports, airports, security, defense, sanitation, retail, and food supply. I will continue to update.

Reference: [Notice on the Malaysian Government’s Announcement of Movement Control Order] | Embassy of Japan in Malaysia