By Chester Tay
Malaysia's king has accepted the government's request to declare a state of emergency to help contain the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country.
Covid-19 transmission in Malaysia is currently in a critical state and the Cabinet is of the view that there is a need for proactive measures to deal with the pandemic, King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah said in a statement Tuesday.
The monarch has approved a state of emergency until Aug. 1, or any date earlier if new Covid-19 daily cases drop to a level that is deemed under control.
The government will form a committee that consists of both members of Parliament from both the ruling coalition and opposition, and health experts.
This committee will make a recommendation to the king on the appropriate date to end the state of emergency.
The king didn't elaborate on how the state of emergency would be used to alleviate the pandemic.
The state of emergency came after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced a more stringent lockdown for 14 days in the country's capital and five other states, while banning interstate travel.
Malaysia has been struggling with a resurgent virus problem, with the number of new daily Covid-19 infections breaching the 3,000 mark for the first time last week.
Write to Chester Tay at chester.tay@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-11-21 2132ET
