KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 — Putrajaya should enforce the strictest of movement control order (MCO) for at least two weeks following the recent spike in the number of Covid-19 clusters involving workplaces, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.

Najib, who is also Pekan MP, questioned the logic behind the renewed MCO — dubbed MCO 2.0 — as to whether its objectives were actually meant to maintain control over the pandemic.

"Since the beginning, it has been said that sectors contributing to the majority of Covid-19 cases in the third wave leading to the reinstatement of the MCO is the manufacturing and construction sector.

"Yet, sectors allowed to operate in MCO 2.0 also include the manufacturing and construction sector. For that reason, do enforce MCO 2.0 with the strictest measures without any relaxation for two weeks.

"Do not enforce a half-baked MCO which will surely be extended numerous times,” he said on his Facebook.

Najib was earlier responding to a news report which had quoted Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in expressing concern over the recent spike in the number of Covid-19 clusters involving workplaces. 

According to Dr Noor Hisham, a total of 350 new clusters were reported since January 6 with 225 or 64.3 per cent out of them being linked to workplaces.

Separately, the EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Eurocham Malaysia) had in a letter issued to its members said Putrajaya was set to announce a total economic shutdown after February 4, should the number of Covid-19 cases in the nation continue to not show any improvement.

The letter detailed a summary of Eurocham Malaysia chief executive Sven Schneider’s meeting with the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti), which mentioned that the Ministry of Health (MOH) "has made a clear stand on the matter of a complete shutdown of the economy”.

On January 21, Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had announced that the MCO will be extended to February 4 for the states and all federal territories first locked down this month.

The states and federal territories affected are Selangor, Melaka, Penang, Johor, Sabah, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan.