<![CDATA[Coronavirus: Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announces national lockdown]>

Malaysia has announced a lockdown for two weeks from March 18, barring its citizens from travelling overseas and shutting all businesses except shops selling food and daily necessities, in a drastic move to stem a surge in coronavirus infections.

In a live address on Monday evening, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the Movement Control Order would be in effect until March 31.

"The government views this situation seriously, especially with the development of the second wave [of infections]," he said.

"We can't wait any longer for things to get worse. Drastic action should be taken immediately to prevent the spread of the disease by limiting public movement. This is the only way we can prevent more people from being infected by the outbreaks that can destroy lives."

The lockdown is similar in effect to that imposed by Italy, with mass movements and gatherings across the country prohibited, including religious, sports, social and cultural activities.

To enforce this, all houses of worship and business premises must be closed except for supermarkets, public markets, convenience stores and convenience stores selling everyday necessities.

All religious activities in mosques will be suspended, Muhyiddin said, including Friday prayers.

The prime minster also said all Malaysians who had just returned from overseas were required to undergo a health check and self quarantine for 14 days. Restrictions have also been imposed on the entry of tourists to Malaysia, but foreigners will be allowed to leave the country.

Ambassadors and diplomats can return to their countries, while a decision on whether long-term visa holders can enter the country will be made on Tuesday.

On top of this, all kindergartens, primary and secondary government and private schools, as well as all public and private higher education institutions and skills training institutes nationwide, will be closed.

The prime minister also announced the closure of all government and private premises except those involved in essential services, including water, electricity, energy, telecommunications, transport, broadcasting, finance, security and health.

"Don't panic, don't worry, and stay calm," he said. "I believe with the restrictions implemented by the government, we will be able to block the spread of this outbreak."

Muhyiddin's announcement comes after coronavirus fears in Malaysia hit new heights with the number of cases climbing to 553, the highest in Southeast Asia.

The country reported 125 new cases on Monday " 95 of which are linked to a mass Islamic religious meeting held last month, according to the health ministry " following a 190-case jump over the weekend.

The religious meeting, or "tabligh", saw some 16,000 people gather to pray from February 27 to March 1. Of the 14,500 Malaysians who attended, only 7,000 have come forward for testing despite repeated pleas from government and religious officials, the health minister said.

So far, a total of 42 patients in Malaysia have fully recovered from the coronavirus and have been discharged, leaving 511 still in hospital " 12 of whom are still in intensive care.

"What we are doing is reasonably similar to Italy's [measures], but Italy's were more dramatic and more sudden than Malaysia," said health systems and policy practitioner Dr Swee Kheng Khor.

"Although it is surprising because they came all at once, after some initial shock, Malaysians will understand that these measures are necessary to prevent a deterioration of the situation."

Khor said the government should issue announcements about the situation on a regular basis, as this would "help Malaysians prepare psychologically and logistically for any escalation or de-escalation".

Ashraf Ariff, who runs an Indian-Muslim restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, expressed concern over the specifics of the lockdown.

"I'm confused with the term bekalan makanan [food supplies]. Do restaurants fall under this? How are we to sustain if we shut our doors for two weeks? And it can even be longer than two weeks?" he told This Week in Asia.

"What about the post-dated payments we have issued to our suppliers? I have to house, feed and pay all of my workers, regardless if we are operational or not."

Countries are ramping up restrictions as cases surge in the West, while Singapore, China and Hong Kong are reporting a rise in imported cases.

Beijing announced a 14-day mandatory quarantine on all international travellers arriving in the Chinese capital, while business travellers will have to stay at designated hotels and be tested for the virus.

In Hong Kong, a red travel alert has been issued on the United States, Britain and Ireland, with a 14-day quarantine period on all arrivals from these countries and Egypt.

Singapore, meanwhile, announced on Sunday evening that 14-day "stay home" notices would be issued to arrivals from the other nine members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), as well as travellers from Britain, Japan and Switzerland.

The Philippines has banned any travellers from countries with local transmissions of the coronavirus from entry, except citizens and their families, permanent residents, and those with diplomatic visas.

Land, domestic air, and domestic sea travel to and from the National Capital Region, which includes Manila, is suspended until April 14, while mass gatherings have also been banned.

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Monday said the authorities were not now considering imposing a lockdown to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

Jakarta and several other provinces and cities have already announced school closures starting this week, and civil servants and some companies are asking staff to work from home.

Additional reporting by Reuters, Agence France-Presse

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.