Malaysian king, PM announce state of emergency until August, national lockdowns over virus surge

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in the country until August, just hours after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced reinstated nationwide lockdowns.

In a statement, the Malaysian Royal Household Comptroller Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said the monarch decreed for the emergency as a proactive measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“According to statistics, 15 COVID-19 specialty hospitals have recorded up to 70 percent occupancy rate,” Shamsuddin added.