PUTRAJAYA will allow more economic sectors to reopen in stages during the extended movement control order (MCO) period, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said those allowed to resume operations are subject to guidelines from the Health Ministry and MCO parameters.

“Senior Minister (International Trade and Industry) Mohamed Azmin Ali will head a special cabinet committee to vet the sectors to be re-opened,” he said in a special televised message this afternoon.

“But I want to stress that this does not mean that we are loosening the MCO.

“The MCO is still in force and all the instructions given must be followed, or we will revoke the permissions given to the factories or companies.

 “The list of sectors (that will be allowed to resume operations) will be announced soon.”

He said the gradual reopening of the sectors is important to mitigate some of the economic effects of the MCO.

Muhyiddin also announced that the MCO will be extended to April 28, making it a six-week long partial lockdown.

At the start of the MCO, only essential services such as communications, power, utilities, transport, food suppliers and others were allowed to continue operations.

The MCO was started on March 18 to break the chain of coronavirus infections in the country by minimising physical contact.

On March 25, Putrajaya decided to extend the MCO for another two weeks to April 14.

As of yesterday, Malaysia recorded 4,228 cases with 67 deaths. The number of recoveries was 1,608 with 72 still in ICU while another 43 are still on ventilators. – April 10, 2020.