JOHOR ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar has urged the federal government to impose a full but targeted lockdown by zones to curb the rising number of Covid-19 infections.

He said this tough but selective approach would enable a flattening of the curve without completely stopping all economic activities.

“A full, targeted lockdown can be imposed on neighbouring states to stem the number of Covid-19 cases without completely stopping all of the country’s economic activities.

“Full lockdowns can be targeted according to zones. For example, the southern zone covering Johor, Malacca and Negri Sembilan for two weeks, followed by other zones on the east coast (Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan).

“States not under lockdown can continue their economic activities under movement control order (MCO) restrictions,” the Johor ruler said in a statement.

The nationwide MCO 3.0 began on May 12 and is until June 7. However, it is less strict than the first MCO from March to May last year when the pandemic began.

Cases today breached the 8,000-mark for the first time, as various authority figures warned that daily infections could reach 10,000 following lax observance of standard operating procedures during Hari Raya two weeks ago.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has advocated a full lockdown, although the National Security Council, which sets movement restriction rules, has said the government needs to strike a balance between lives and livelihoods. – May 28, 2021.