Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has announced a new round of movement control order (MCO) starting from midnight on Wednesday, Jan. 13.

MCO to last for at least two weeks

The MCO is set to last for at least two weeks till Jan. 26, Malay Mail reported.

The affected states are Penang, Johor, Melaka, Selangor, Sabah and the Federal Territories.

Six other states, except Perlis and Sarawak, will remain under the conditional movement control order (CMCO) from Jan. 13 as well, Muhyiddin said in his special address.

He explained that the move is necessary as the Covid-19 outbreak is starting to overwhelm public hospitals, adding that the country's healthcare system is at "a breaking point".

The country reported 2,433 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, Jan. 10. New daily infections have constantly exceeded the 2,000 mark after reaching 3,027 on Jan. 7.

Malaysia has reported 135,992 total cases so far, with the death toll standing at 551.

Panic buying

In anticipation of the fresh round of lockdown measures, Malaysians have flocked to supermarkets to get their hands on groceries and other essentials, resulting in long queues and some items like toilet paper running out of stock at some stores.

https://twitter.com/aliyahshamira_/status/1348121494258282497

Photo from a friend. Tesco Gombak, took him 30 min untuk beratur sahaja.

It’s happening, any other place?

Now where’s my barbell?! https://t.co/g2oSc7xlAw pic.twitter.com/QMxRRgwYd1

— Coach Zainul Fitness Trainer, Duke of Cyburgjaya (@coachzainul) January 8, 2021

News of the lockdown had come after two Cabinet ministers tested positive for Covid-19 on Jan. 10 and 11.

One of the ministers was Mustapa Mohamad, who was part of the team handling negotiations over the cancelled Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail project.

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Top image adapted via @coachzainul/Twitter & Muhyiddin's live address