Malaysia requires its citizens not to go abroad and ban foreigners from entering in the context of nearly 600 people infected with nCoV in the country.

The decision was announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the evening of March 16, to deal with the situation of Covid-19 spreading in the country. In addition to blockade of borders, Malaysia also closed all schools for two weeks and banned the organization of crowded events. All religious venues and business shops, except supermarkets and banks, must also cease operations.

Malaysian citizens living abroad are still allowed to return to their home country, but must be isolated for 14 days.

"I know many people will find it difficult to live in daily life because of the actions of the government. However, it needs to be implemented to prevent Covid-19, an epidemic that could threaten people's lives," Prime Minister Muhyiddin said in a speech on Malaysian national television.

"We cannot wait until things get worse. We have seen many countries taking drastic measures to control Covid-19, including China, where the number of cases is declining significantly." The Malaysian Prime Minister added.

Malaysia currently records 566 positive cases of nCoV, the highest in Southeast Asia, with no deaths. Many cases were linked to a large-scale Islamic event held last month with the participation of nearly 20,000 people, including 14,500 Malaysian citizens, the rest from Bangladesh, Brunei, Philippines, and Singapore. and Thailand.

Covid-19, started in Wuhan in December 2019, has appeared in 162 countries and territories, leaving nearly 170,000 people infected with nCoV and more than 6,500 dead.