COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia

[36][37] The MCO was strengthened into a "total lockdown" from June 1 that was extended indefinitely, as the severe and continued spread of the Delta variant led to Malaysia's healthcare system capacity being reached in some regions.

[58] On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.

[64][65] Malaysia experienced a spike in COVID-19 cases following a four-day Tablighi Jamaat event that was held at Kuala Lumpur's "Masjid Jamek Sri Petaling" between 27 February and 1 March 2020.

[69] The Director-General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah attributed this spike to active detection in areas affected by Enhanced Movement Controlled Order, a stricter version of the MCO.

[75] On 20 July, Prime Minister Muhyiddin announced that the Malaysian Government would consider making face masks compulsory following the emergence of 13 clusters after the relaxation of lockdown restrictions on travel and businesses the previous month.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia held a live nationwide telecast on 16 March 2020 at 10:00 pm (UTC+8) to announce the decision of the federal government in implementing the Movement Control Order (MCO).

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdullah had assented to the request to impose the states of emergency within these two electorates in response to a third wave of infections, which had risen to a total of 86,000 cases and 422 deaths by 16 December.

[20] On 12 January 2021, King Abdullah of Pahang declared a national state of emergency until at least 1 August 2021 to curb the spread of COVID-19 and in response to a political crisis involving Prime Minister Muhyiddin's Perikatan Nasional government.

[143] Immediately after the spikes of the cases related to the Sri Petaling Tabligh event, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that religious, social and sports mass gatherings must be cancelled or postponed until 30 April 2020.

[148] These "standard operating procedures" were criticised by several politicians and public figures including Deputy national unity minister Ti Lian Ker and Member of Parliament Ong Kian Ming as "culturally insensitive" and unnecessary.

This announcement was reiterated by the Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah on March 23, 2020, when asked to clarify a statement made by the Prime Minister that foreigners would have to pay for COVID-19 testing.

[167] The Solidarity trial, launched by WHO to research and compare the safety and effectiveness of treatment protocols which included chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, interferon-beta, lopinavir/ritonavir and remdesivir, would be conducted in nine government hospitals across the country.

[170] By 16 May 2021, Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah confirmed that intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy rates at hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Sarawak, Kedah, and Perak had reached 80% due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[172] By 15 July 2021, hotels were being converted into quarantine and treatment centres for low-risk COVID-19 patients due to a rapid increase in nationwide cases placing a strain on the country's hospitals.

The surge in cases throughout 2021 has been attributed to the government's less stringent lockdown measures and an earlier decision to allow 18 manufacturing sectors to reopen under 60% capacity, creating favourable conditions for virus outbreaks in factories and workers' dormitories.

[186] In early September 2021, Minister of International Trade and Industry Mohamed Azmin Ali announced that Malaysia would start treating the COVID-19 pandemic as an endemic disease from late October 2021 due to a high vaccination rate.

[187] On 2 October 2021, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin confirmed that the Malaysian government was negotiating with Merck & Co to procure stocks of its antiviral molnupiravir pills for treating COVID-19.

[196] On 5 March, Malaysia added seven regions towards its travel restriction list, which include Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna in Italy; Hokkaido in Japan; and Tehran, Qom and Gilan in Iran.

The ban includes permanent residents, participants of the "Malaysia My Second Home" program, expatriates, professional visit pass holders, the spouses of Malaysian citizens, and students.

[208] On 7 November, the United States Embassy in Kuala Lumpur confirmed that Malaysians travelling to the US could show their proof of vaccination on the MySejahtera app as well as a negative COVID-19 test.

[212] On 27 April 2022, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Malaysia will remove pre-flight and on-arrival testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers and those who have just recovered from COVID-19 beginning on May 1.

[225] On 31 March, Deputy Foreign Minister Kamaruddin Jaffar confirmed that 4,374 Malaysians were stranded abroad due to the travel restrictions and delays created by the global coronavirus pandemic.

He also upgraded the number of Malaysians stranded abroad to 2,298: 1,016 in India, 172 in Thailand, 136 in New Zealand, 128 in Pakistan, 122 in Vietnam, 83 in Saudi Arabia, 77 in Australia, 66 in the Philippines, 65 in Sri Lanka, and 43 in Nepal.

[229] On 15 June, Health Minister Adham Baba proposed retaining a ban on interstate travel during the Eid al-Fitr period in response to rising cases that week.

[239] On 30 July, Immigration Department director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee warned that foreigners refusing to pay the mandatory quarantine costs of RM 4,700 would have their long-term social visa passes revoked.

[242] On 23 March, the Singaporean and Malaysian Foreign Ministers Vivian Balakrishnan and Hishamuddin Hussein announced that the two governments plan to recognise each other's COVID-19 vaccine certificates with the goal of restoring cross-border travel in the near future.

[245] On 24 September, National Recovery Council chairman Muhyiddin Yassin confirmed that Malaysia and Singapore would recognise each other's vaccination certificates to facilitate movement between the two countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to social distancing restrictions on a wide range of activities including the registration of births, marriages, and deaths, religious gatherings, education, and sporting events.

[271][272] The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and affected the political system of Malaysia, causing suspensions of legislative activities and isolation of multiple politicians due to fears of spreading the virus.

[281][282][283][284][285][excessive citations] Mercy Malaysia, the Malaysian Red Crescent Society along with various banks and telecommunications companies also provided customers with various forms of financial assistance and discounted services during the pandemic.