KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — The health director-general called for Malaysia to go on a  self-imposed lockdown for the next two weeks as Covid-19 caseloads continue to rise.

Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said hospitals were at a critical stage in terms of bed capacity for Covid-19 patients.

"Humans move, humans gather. Viruses do not assemble. The virus spreads and is contagious when humans move and congregate. So, when we sit at home, we have reduced movement and this will help break the chain of infection,” he said at a joint press conference today.

Dr Noor Hisham said that this effort will assist the health ministry to spare some time to improve it’s facilities and readiness by curbing the pandemic following hospitals bed capacity issue.

Yesterday Dr Noor Hisham said that 83 per cent of beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) prepared for Covid-19 patients nationwide were full.

In a Facebook post, he shared infographics that showed the drastic increase in Covid-19 ICU occupancy within two short months — from fewer than 200 beds in March to close to 900 beds now.

Two days ago, the Health Ministry issued a letter urging private hospitals to increase the amount of beds to treat patients that have contracted the virus.

The letter also added that private hospitals’ liaison officers must ensure beds amount increments are reported to the Private Medical Practice Control Section on a daily basis.