Gov T Decides To Reopen Businesses To Prevent Up To Rm98b In Losses

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CORONAVIRUS | The Perikatan Nasional (PN) government made the decision to reopen businesses on Monday to prevent economic losses of close to RM100 billion
In a live address, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the country has already lost up to RM63 billion for the duration of the movement control order (MCO) since it began on March 18
Even so, he said the government was aware of concerns that the easing of the MCO might undo the country’s efforts in containing the Covid-19 spread and cause a new wave of infections
“If the MCO continues for another month, the country could lose up to RM35 billion, making it a total loss of RM98 billion
“That’s almost RM100 billion. At the same time, many are concerned that should the MCO be lifted, what will become of our efforts to contain the Covid-19 spread? The virus is still out there. Even if the number of cases is going down, the risk of infection remains
“This we want to avoid… I have discussed this at length with the Economic Action Council, National Security Council, and cabinet. We must find a way to balance the need to restore the economy with the interests of containing the outbreak,” he said
The premier had previously stated that the country was bleeding RM2.4 billion a day due to the beating the national economy was taking as a result of the global pandemic and subsequent MCO
He said this when announcing the implementation of a conditional MCO, beginning Monday, which would see the reopening of most businesses and social activities
[More to follow] - Mkini

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