7 Things You May Have Missed During The Prime Minister's Speech

The Prime Minister's speech was not presented in front of a live audience as he is currently undergoing self-quarantine after being in close contact with the Religious Affairs Minister who tested positive for COVID-19.

He said, "The Sabah state elections had to be held when the Yang di-Pertua Negeri announced that the Sabah state assembly has been dissolved. It was unavoidable because we are subjected to the constitution. An election has to be held within 60 days after the state assembly is dissolved. It cannot be postponed."

"I realise that the Election Commission of Malaysia has set specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) to make sure the COVID-19 pandemic will not spread due to the elections. However, some SOPs were violated."

"I assure you that contact tracing efforts nowadays are easier than that during the early stages of the COVID-19 transmission. This is because 17 million Malaysian residents use the MySejahtera application," the Prime Minister said.

"We are now better prepared than before in terms of experience and manpower. We know the behaviour of the virus better and we have enough facilities and equipment."

He then explained that as of now, only 29% of the total hospital bed capacity has been used up.

"I would like to stress that there are no double standards in following quarantine orders," the Prime Minister said.

"With me, there are seven cabinet ministers and six deputy ministers who have to undergo quarantine. They are all not excluded from following quarantine orders. They must obey the rules and action can be taken if they disobey."

Muhyiddin also noted that as Prime Minister, he will be paying close attention to COVID-19 developments. He said that the decision to implement a Movement Control Order (MCO) or TEMCO is up to him.

"As of today, we are not thinking about implementing a nationwide MCO or a total lockdown," he assured, adding that the move would cripple the social systems and the nation's economy.

However, the government will continue to enforce TEMCO in areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases.

During his speech, the Prime Minister said that schools will be closed at several districts in Sabah including Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Putatan, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Kunak, and Semporna.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) will continue to work closely in case COVID-19 cases occur at schools in the country.

Earlier today, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri announced that the government was set to impose an interstate travel ban to and from Sabah beginning tomorrow, 7 October.

However, the premier has decided to push back the policy to 12 October.

Muhyiddin said this is to ensure that people are not stranded in Sabah due to the sudden announcement.

"The new deadline for travel restrictions between Sabah and the Peninsular, Sarawak, and Labuan will come into effect from 12.01am on 12 October to 25 October 2020," he said.

Muhyiddin said, "The government is also looking into proposals to limit public events and gatherings to reduce the likelihood of a COVID-19 outbreak. This includes large conferences, weddings, and public assemblies."

"However, the government will get input from the MOH first before implementing it, as well as suggest additional SOPs if necessary."