KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (dpa): Closed since March, Malaysia's border will not reopen after the country's current Covid-19 (coronavirus)-related curbs end on Aug 31, the country's top security official said on Thursday.
"We are not ready to relax what is being enforced at the moment," Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pic) said during a press conference in the capital on Tuesday (Aug 27).
Most non-Malaysians cannot enter the country, prompting businesses in sectors that depend on foreign workers to complain of labour shortages.
The ban on foreign tourists has hammered a sector that accounts for 10-15 per cent of gross domestic product during busy years.
Most Malaysians cannot leave the country, though the land crossing into Singapore saw a part-reopening on August 17 for Malaysians who commute into the city-state for work.
Malaysia's strictly-policed lockdown ran from March 18 to May 4, after which most domestic curbs were done away with.
Despite relaxations that saw most businesses reopen, dozens of people continue to be arrested each day for alleged breaches of the remaining restrictions.
Proposals have been floated to jack up the fine for infractions from 1,000 ringgit (US$240) to 10,000.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is due to make an announcement about the curbs before the August 31 expiry.
Ismail Sabri said an extension is needed to prevent "imported cases" of the novel coronavirus.
"Malaysia had managed to control the outbreak, resulting in only single-digit cases.
"However, imported Covid-19 cases changed all this," he claimed.
Malaysia's Ministry of Health reported five new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, taking the official national caseload to almost 9,300.
The related death toll is 125, while 8,994 people have recovered after testing positive for the virus. - dpa
"We are not ready to relax what is being enforced at the moment," Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pic) said during a press conference in the capital on Tuesday (Aug 27).
Most non-Malaysians cannot enter the country, prompting businesses in sectors that depend on foreign workers to complain of labour shortages.
The ban on foreign tourists has hammered a sector that accounts for 10-15 per cent of gross domestic product during busy years.
Most Malaysians cannot leave the country, though the land crossing into Singapore saw a part-reopening on August 17 for Malaysians who commute into the city-state for work.
Malaysia's strictly-policed lockdown ran from March 18 to May 4, after which most domestic curbs were done away with.
Despite relaxations that saw most businesses reopen, dozens of people continue to be arrested each day for alleged breaches of the remaining restrictions.
Proposals have been floated to jack up the fine for infractions from 1,000 ringgit (US$240) to 10,000.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is due to make an announcement about the curbs before the August 31 expiry.
Ismail Sabri said an extension is needed to prevent "imported cases" of the novel coronavirus.
"Malaysia had managed to control the outbreak, resulting in only single-digit cases.
"However, imported Covid-19 cases changed all this," he claimed.
Malaysia's Ministry of Health reported five new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, taking the official national caseload to almost 9,300.
The related death toll is 125, while 8,994 people have recovered after testing positive for the virus. - dpa
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