As the world scrambles to inoculate people against COVID-19, a religious goods store owner in Malaysia found that his paper 'vaccines' were flying off the shelves during a religious month-long festival to honour the dead.

Malaysian man makes 'vaccines' for the afterlife

Malaysia will tighten coronavirus curbs in the capital to combat a fresh spike in cases, with only essential businesses allowed to operate and restaurant dining-in banned, authorities said Wednesday.

The partial lockdown in Kuala Lumpur, initially set to last from May 7 to 20, comes a day after officials announced tougher restrictions in several districts surrounding the city.

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The Southeast Asian nation was hit by a fresh Covid-19 outbreak at the start of 2021, prompting authorities to re-introduce curbs not seen since the start of the pandemic and declare a state of emergency.

Infection rates fell and measures were eased — but cases started climbing again in recent weeks as people went out to shop and socialised more.&nbsp;

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Announcing the new curbs in Kuala Lumpur, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said at least 17 new infection clusters were detected in the city last month.

Only certain types of businesses, such as supermarkets, petrol stations and medical clinics, will be allowed to operate while the restrictions are in force, he said.

Eateries can remain open but only for takeaways.

Most people have already been working from home for months.

Health authorities in the country of 32 million reported 3,744 Covid-19 cases Wednesday — around half in the capital and neighbouring Selangor state — and 17 deaths.&nbsp;

Daily cases have frequently topped 3,000 in recent days.

Malaysia's outbreak remains less severe than in many other countries, with officials reporting over 400,000 cases and almost 1,600 deaths.&nbsp;

Malaysia will tighten coronavirus curbs in the capital to combat a fresh spike in cases, with only essential businesses allowed to operate and restaurant dining-in banned, authorities said Wednesday.

Malaysia will tighten coronavirus curbs in the capital to combat a fresh spike in cases, with only essential businesses allowed to operate and restaurant dining-in banned, authorities said Wednesday. The partial lockdown in Kuala Lumpur, initially set to last from May 7 to 20, comes a day after officials announced tougher restrictions in several districts surrounding the city. Also read | Moderna's booster shot trial brings good news and encouragement The Southeast Asian nation was hit by a fresh Covid-19 outbreak at the start of 2021, prompting authorities to re-introduce curbs not seen since the start of the pandemic and declare a state of emergency. Infection rates fell and measures were eased — but cases started climbing again in recent weeks as people went out to shop and socialised more. Also read | Largest study on Pfizer Covid vaccine says drug offers over 95% protection Announcing the new curbs in Kuala Lumpur, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said at least 17 new infection clusters were detected in the city last month. Only certain types of businesses, such as supermarkets, petrol stations and medical clinics, will be allowed to operate while the restrictions are in force, he said. Eateries can remain open but only for takeaways. Most people have already been working from home for months. Health authorities in the country of 32 million reported 3,744 Covid-19 cases Wednesday — around half in the capital and neighbouring Selangor state — and 17 deaths. Daily cases have frequently topped 3,000 in recent days. Malaysia's outbreak remains less severe than in many other countries, with officials reporting over 400,000 cases and almost 1,600 deaths.

Malaysia tightens curbs in capital as virus cases climb

Cinema hall operators have closed their doors once again, following the escalation of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. According to Variety, a nationwide state of emergency was announced early on Tuesday (local time) on behalf of King Al-Sultan Abdullah. 
 
As per a palace statement quoted by Variety, the emergency could last until August 1, depending on the state of coronavirus infections.&nbsp;Chains of movie theatres including Golden Screen Cinemas, TGV, and others shared on their social media accounts that the theatres will be shut from Wednesday (local time) and that the cost of the pre-paid tickets will be reimbursed. "The effect is to put us back to where we were at the beginning of November. This time, we expect the MCO to be renewed for two weeks at a time for some months," Irving Chee, GM at GSC, told Variety. 
 
Malaysia has been under lockdown, known as a Movement Control Order, of varying degrees since March 18, as an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus. With case numbers once again rising steeply, in a second wave that began at the beginning of October. The country has seen 32,500 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data, and 249 attributable deaths.

“The closure is a cohesive decision undertaken by the industry in light of the recent conditional MCO implementation, which requires cinemas to remain closed, coupled with a lack of new movie releases in the short term which are essential to attract moviegoers back to the cinemas.”

Cinemas in Malaysia were previously closed for more than three months from March 18- July 1 2020&nbsp;but reopened in July. Attendance numbers, however, have not picked up, and local reports suggest that box office for the year to date is running at 90% below normal levels.

After the relaxation of social conditions in December, the positive coronavirus cases in Malaysia have jumped as the country on Monday (local time) recorded 2,232 new confirmed cases, bringing the active total to 28,500 and the running total since early 2020 to 135,000 with 550 deaths. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Cinema hall operators have closed their doors once again, following the escalation of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. According to Variety, a nationwide state of emergency was announced early on Tuesday (local time) on behalf of King Al-Sultan Abdullah.

Cinema hall operators have closed their doors once again, following the escalation of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. According to Variety, a nationwide state of emergency was announced early on Tuesday (local time) on behalf of King Al-Sultan Abdullah. As per a palace statement quoted by Variety, the emergency could last until August 1, depending on the state of coronavirus infections. Chains of movie theatres including Golden Screen Cinemas, TGV, and others shared on their social media accounts that the theatres will be shut from Wednesday (local time) and that the cost of the pre-paid tickets will be reimbursed. "The effect is to put us back to where we were at the beginning of November. This time, we expect the MCO to be renewed for two weeks at a time for some months," Irving Chee, GM at GSC, told Variety. Malaysia has been under lockdown, known as a Movement Control Order, of varying degrees since March 18, as an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus. With case numbers once again rising steeply, in a second wave that began at the beginning of October. The country has seen 32,500 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data, and 249 attributable deaths. “The closure is a cohesive decision undertaken by the industry in light of the recent conditional MCO implementation, which requires cinemas to remain closed, coupled with a lack of new movie releases in the short term which are essential to attract moviegoers back to the cinemas.” Cinemas in Malaysia were previously closed for more than three months from March 18- July 1 2020 but reopened in July. Attendance numbers, however, have not picked up, and local reports suggest that box office for the year to date is running at 90% below normal levels. After the relaxation of social conditions in December, the positive coronavirus cases in Malaysia have jumped as the country on Monday (local time) recorded 2,232 new confirmed cases, bringing the active total to 28,500 and the running total since early 2020 to 135,000 with 550 deaths. (With inputs from agencies)

Cinema halls in Malaysia close again due to coronavirus second wave

Nine-year-old Malaysian schoolgirl Nur Afia Qistina Zamzuri didn't quite understand what the coronavirus was but she knew that it was dangerous. So when she heard that the local hospital was looking for people to sew protective gear, she immediately volunteered.

Wanting to help hospitals, Malaysian school girl sews dozens of PPEs

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