Malaysia declares coronavirus emergency – GulfToday

Malaysia declares coronavirus emergency – GulfToday

Malaysia declares coronavirus emergency

an hour ago

A medical personnel wearing a protective suit waits at the Covid-19 drive-thru test centre in Kuala Lumpur. AFP

Gulf Today Report

Malaysia reported 3,309 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the biggest daily rise since the start of the pandemic, as the country imposed a nationwide state of emergency.

To fight a coronavirus surge, government has suspended parliament session, with critics charging it was a bid by the unstable government to cling to power.

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Malaysia's palace said the king had declared the emergency as COVID-19 infections had reached "a critical stage".

A medical personnel conducts Covid-19 test on man at a drive-thru test centre in Kuala Lumpur. Mohd Rasfan/AFP

The surprise move came a day after the prime minister announced sweeping new curbs across much of the Southeast Asian nation, including the closure of most businesses, and warned the health system was "at breaking point".

Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah agreed to declare an emergency until August 1 following a request from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the national palace said in a statement.

It is the first time Malaysia has declared a national state of emergency in over half a century and Muhyiddin, in a televised