MORE businesses and offices will be able to start operations again on Monday, restaurants will reopen and certain sporting activities will be allowed.

These are among the loosening of movement restrictions Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is expected to announce in his Labour Day speech tomorrow.

Sources told The Malaysian Insight there will be guidelines to follow and the movement-control order (MCO) will still be in force till May 12.

Cinemas, bars and clubs, however, will remain shut until further notice. There will still be no interstate travel unless the application is approved by the authorities.

Sources said restaurants will also be open but strict social distancing measures will be applied.

There is also good news for sports fans and health buffs.

Badminton, tennis, jogging, cycling will be allowed but all group sports, including football, are still banned under the MCO.

Earlier, China Press reported Muhyiddin is expected to announce loosening of restrictions for businesses and that more businesses will be allowed to resume operations by Monday.

These businesses will have to adhere to Health Ministry guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19, which includes recording temperature of staff, checking for symptoms and social distancing requirements.

Failure to comply will result in closure, it was reported.

Sources also told China Press that schools will remain closed for at least another two weeks, until there are detailed discussions by the authorities.

The MCO was enforced on March 18 to break the chain of the Covid-19 infections, which has so far infected 6,002 and killed 102.

In recent weeks, however, the number of new Covid-19 infections has steadily declined and the recovery rate has risen to 69.5%. – April 30, 2020.