KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — The state of Selangor may be placed under a full-blown movement control order (MCO) if Covid-19 cases continue to rise, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.

Dr Adham said, however, this would depend on the current Covid-19 situation in the state, and how well people comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and public health facilities cope with rising cases.

"I agree that we need to suggest to the government that a stricter SOP and MCO should be enforced if we can’t contain the situation, so the suggestion to introduce a full MCO can be considered,” he said.

Today, Selangor again topped the list of states with the most infections, with 1,650 out of 4,446 cases, followed by Sarawak (433), and Kelantan (343).

Earlier, during a press conference, Dr Adham expressed concern over the public’s apparently lax compliance with the MCO that is currently in place nationwide.

Citing Hari Raya Aidilfitri, for example, Dr Adham said the government is aware that some people had allegedly managed to circumvent the "no social visits” rule by taking their celebrations to shopping malls, which in turn could lead to Covid-19 infections.

"We projected that the spike [in cases] that we see today is the effect of clusters that emerged two weeks ago from religious centres, such as surau and mosques, and also densely populated areas.

"So we are greatly concerned that we might also see a rise in cases from the Raya period of May 13 to 15, if there really were family gatherings at malls or shopping centres,” he said.

Dr Adham also stressed that the government has taken all the necessary measures to curb the spread of the virus, such implementing a national MCO, enforcing a work-from-home policy, tightening border controls and increasing Covid-19 testing in areas of concern.