KUALA LUMPUR, 14 January 2021: Malaysia declared a state of emergency nationwide due to rising Covid-19 cases.
King Al-Sultan Abdullah declared on Tuesday a country-wide state of emergency under article 150 of the constitution. It could remain place until 1 August. The parliament has also been suspended indefinitely.
Authorities are monitoring an alarming rise of Covid-19 cases that reached 141,533 on Tuesday while the death toll stood at 559. Authorities fear the healthcare system is now at breaking point.
On Monday, the government announced the tightening of Covid-19 restrictions. For the second time, five states, including Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Johor and Sabah, and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan were placed under MCO from 13 to 26 January.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin stressed in his live address on Tuesday morning that the state of emergency was not a military coup. A curfew has not been announced.
The prime minister said economic activities would continue to take place and people could continue to work while business, trade and industries could operate as usual, with adherence to standard operating procedures.
