COVID-19 Cases Reach 1 Million And Record Daily Infection Record, Malaysia Lifts State Of Emergency

Malaysian illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/CEphoto/Uwe Aranas)

JAKARTA - Malaysian authorities have decided not to extend the state of emergency, said Minister Takiyuddin Hassan, Monday local time, even though the country's COVID-19 infection has crossed 1 million cases.

The country has been under a state of emergency and a strict lockdown since January, which Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said was necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Despite the state of emergency and strict lockdown, the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia is getting worse, sparking public outrage.

Malaysia reported a record number of cases on Sunday 25 July, bringing the total number of infections past 1 million. Its per capita infection rate is the highest in the Southeast Asia region.

Minister Takiyuddin said the government would not ask the king to extend the state of emergency. This was conveyed on the sidelines of a special session of the Malaysian Parliament, citing Reuters on Monday, July 26.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy where the king has a ceremonial role, carrying out his duties on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet. However, the king also has the power to decide whether a state of emergency should be declared.

Muhyiddin has ruled with a slim majority and led an unstable ruling coalition since coming to power in March 2020. By imposing a state of emergency, Muhyiddin could constitutionally suspend parliament (recess), allowing it to deal with COVID-19 without parliamentary approval.

Meanwhile, the state of emergency is called by his opponents as an effort to maintain his government. The special session of the Malaysian Parliament which is currently being held will last for five days. So far, there is no indication that a vote of no confidence will be held.

The UMNO party, Malaysia's largest political party and a key ally in the coalition withdrew support for Muhyiddin earlier this month. However, Malaysia's attorney general said the withdrawal would not affect the position of Muhyiddin or his cabinet, as the issue of the majority of his house could only be decided by parliament.

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. (Twitter/@501Awani)

Yesterday, Malaysia's Ministry of Health reported 17,045 new cases of COVID-19 infection, a record high during the pandemic compared to the previous day's 15,902 cases, bringing Malaysia to a total of 1,013,438 infections, citing CNA.

In addition, the ministry also announced 92 deaths, bringing the death toll to 7,994. Meanwhile, with the addition of 9,683 new cases recovered, bringing the total recovered to 844,541 people. Malaysia's current total recorded 160,903 cases of active infection.

The Klang Valley again accounts for more than half of the new infections with 8,500 in Selangor and 2,045 in Kuala Lumpur. There were also 1,216 new cases in Kedah and 950 new infections in Johor. Malaysia also reported six imported cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.

In a tweet, the Ministry of Health reported Kelantan's first case of COVID-19 with the Delta variant and urged citizens to be more vigilant.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post on Sunday, Director General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah said a hospital in Penang had been converted into a 'COVID-19 hybrid hospital', to cope with the increasing number of cases requiring hospitalization.

"Bukit Mertajam Hospital is equipped with 72 beds with oxygen pipes for COVID-19 patients. The hospital can set aside 120 beds if demand increases" explained Dr. Noor Hisham.

He added that non-COVID-19 patients would be transferred to other nearby hospitals when needed.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said Malaysia could relax some restrictions for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including allowing them to eat in restaurants.

Completely vaccinated residents can also engage in a variety of social and sporting activities. Interstate travel may be permitted for couples living and working separately from each other.

"We will finalize (the details) and I will announce it as a total package. I hope this (relaxation) will give space or space, breathing room, for people to live a slightly better life. A decision will be made in the next few days, said Muhyiddin.