PUTRAJAYA has yet to decide whether to extend the movement-control order (MCO) for another 14 days, said Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The defence minister said the government notes that the number of new Covid-19 cases has not risen over the last few days, and it will seek feedback from the Health Ministry before making a decision.

“Whether we continue (with the MCO) has not yet been decided,” he told a news conference in Putrajaya today.

“But Alhamdulillah, the trend of positive cases is not rising, but appears to be flattening.

“We hope the instructions to quarantine yourselves are followed so that the number of infections is reduced.”

The MCO, which came into force on March 18 and was originally slated to end on March 31, was extended to April 14 as new coronavirus cases continued to rise.

Authorities have pointed to the refusal of attendees of a tabligh event to come forward for testing and violations of the MCO for the increase in infections despite the restriction order.

The tabligh programme held at Sri Petaling Mosque in late February has been traced as the source of more than half of Malaysia’s Covid-19 cases.

As of yesterday, the country recorded 2,908 infections with 45 deaths.

Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, when announcing the latest figures, said a record 108 patients were discharged yesterday, bringing the total number of those who have recovered to 645.

He said ministry data showed some early “signs of success” in containing infections as new cases did not jump to a high of 400 a day as projected by the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research.

“The low numbers from the Health Ministry show a flattening of the curve. We hope that in the next two weeks, we can bring down the number of cases,” he said, adding that adherence to the MCO is key. – April 2, 2020.