A DECISION on whether to extend or end the movement-control order (MCO) will be known tomorrow, after the matter is discussed at the National Security Council special meeting today, said Senior Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali.

“(Senior Minister) Ismail Sabri (Yaakob) will announce the decision tomorrow,” Azmin told reporters today after attending a special address by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to mark the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government’s first anniversary.

The international trade and industry minister said any decision made needs to be backed by data and science.

“Normally, we will meet before the end of any MCO… and we are having a meeting at 2.30pm today.

“I’m sure the Health Ministry led by the director-general of health (Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah) will present the risk assessment to the committee and we will discuss and deliberate on the matter.

“Our decision is based on our experience for the last one year and we have collected all data and statistics for the past year.

“So, if we need to extend the MCO or decide otherwise, then we need to justify it based on data and science,” he said.

The current MCO is the country’s second after the first round from mid-March to May last year.

It was originally imposed from January 14 to 26 but was extended until February 4 as daily Covid-19 infections climbed to the 3,000s and 4,000s, exceeding 5,000 in late January.

It was again extended until February 18 in all states except Sarawak.

On February 19, Putrajaya decided to extend the MCO again but only in Selangor, Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Penang until March 4.

Azmin also said PN has been a very transparent and responsible government, sharing all details with the public.

He said they have never held or hid data from the public, ensuring their transparency.

“(Almost) everyday Ismail Sabri and Noor Hisham appear on television to share all data with the public.

“We have never hid or kept these data (away) from the public because as a responsible government, data sharing is very crucial coupled with effective solutions,” Azmin said. – March 1, 2021.