KUALA LUMPUR, 6 July 2021: Due to a spike in Covid-19 cases, lockdown restrictions remain in place across Malaysia, while stricter rules have been introduced at the weekend for Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
All non-essential government services, businesses and educational institutions are closed. Effective at the weekend to 16 July 2021, several districts in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor are now under the strict Enhanced Movement Control Orders (EMCO). Under that order, there is a ban on inter-district and interstate travel. Residents even need police permission to travel to Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Foreigners, including visitors and long-term foreign residents, have been arrested and charged with breaching Covid-19 restrictions, including failure to socially distance in public places or being present in a venue that is suspected of contravening current rules.
A temporary ban on flights to and from India is in place. All passengers travelling from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, except for Malaysian citizens, are not permitted to enter or transit Malaysia.
Now in its 15th month, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in at least 120 hotels ceasing operations either temporarily or permanently since March 2020.
Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) reports 100 hotels closed last year, and 20 more shut their doors during the first half of 2021.
“We found that about 100 hotels have closed since last year, and this year, 20 more hotels have followed suit. These involve both temporary and permanent closures,” Yap was quoted as saying by SinarHarian.
Hotel losses are expected to worsen this year due to the intrastate and interstate travel ban under the movement control order (MCO) that has been enforced for more than half a year. Losses could reach MYR5 billion.
