File photo: Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin wearing a protective mask arrives at a mosque for prayers, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Putrajaya, Malaysia August 28, 2020. Reuters/Lim Huey Teng/File Photo
Malaysia will open up more sectors to individuals who have been fully vaccinated in an effort to rebuild parts of the economy which have been shut due to the virus outbreak, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said Sunday.
Under the new guidelines which will take effect on Monday, hair salons, shops selling electrical goods, furniture, sporting equipment and car accessories will be allowed to operate in states under the first phase of the national recovery plan, Muhyiddin said in a statement. Stores offering used clothes, antiques and toys can resume business under the second phase.
Malaysia is gradually rolling back Covid-related curbs as it seeks to strike a balance between sustaining economic growth and reining in daily infections which have topped 20,000 over the past four days. Earlier this month, the authorities revised the rules to permit some who have been fully inoculated to cross state borders and dine at restaurants.
"The government hopes that the guidelines announced today will offer some emotional and mental relief to the people and will help to gradually improve the situation of those who are in the affected economic sectors,” Muhyiddin said.
The central bank on Friday lowered its 2021 economic growth target to 3%-4% from an earlier estimate of 6%-7.5%, citing the fallout from the outbreak. The government placed the entire country under lockdown in June in a move that cost 40,000 people their jobs, with the hit estimated at 1.1 billion ringgit ($260 million) a day.
