by TMR / pic by RAZAK GHAZALI

KUALA Lumpur (KL) will be placed under the Movement Control Order (MCO) due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the area, said Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

According to him, the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for MCO in KL will be similar to the previous announcement.

This would mean no interstate travel, except for work and emergency matters.

Additionally, food premises such as restaurants, food trucks, hawkers and kiosks are allowed to operate from 6am to 12am.

However, dine-ins are not allowed. Grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies are allowed to operate from 6am to 10pm.

Petrol stations are allowed to operate from 6am until 10pm, but the ones on the highways are allowed to open 24 hours.

The Ramadhan bazaars in the MCO area are still allowed to operate according to strict SOPs.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry announced that schools in KL, Putrajaya and Selangor will be closed from today.

According to the ministry, the decision was made to reduce movement within the community and between states, given these two territories are close to the MCO areas.

“During the closing period, home teaching and learning will be implemented based on the suitability of teachers and students,” the ministry said.

Malaysia recorded 3,744 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, bringing the cumulative figure for positive cases to 424,376.

Selangor still reported the most cases in the last 24 hours with 1,548, followed by Kelantan with 480 and Sarawak (419).

According to Health DG Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, 20 new clusters have been detected, with eight involving workplaces.

Up to 2,304 patients have recovered, pushing the total number of recoveries to 389,846 (91.9%).

There are currently 32,939 active cases being treated nationwide.

A total of 328 patients are being treated in the intensive care units with 185 of them requiring respiratory aid.

Seventeen new deaths involving Malaysians were also reported, pushing the number of total fatalities to 1,591.