KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is due to make a special announcement at 4pm today on special aid packages, almost a week after the second movement control order dubbed MCO 2.0 came into force in most states last week.

A graphic of the announcement has been released on the Prime Minister’s Office official channels and social media, but no further details were provided on the announcement.

Muhyiddin’s address will be broadcast online via Facebook as well as on RTM, BernamaTV, TV3, and Astro Awani.

On January 11, Muhyiddin announced that several states in the country will undergo a renewed MCO following rising Covid-19 cases. Under the new MCO, it is scheduled to commence from January 13 to January 26.

Following the announcement last week, there has been a chorus from both the opposition and government lawmakers for the Perikatan National administration to help cushion the economic impact caused by a renewed MCO for the rakyat.

Yesterday, the banking industry said it stands ready to assist borrowers/customers in light of the reintroduction of the movement control order (MCO) in a number of states and federal territories.

In a joint statement, the Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) and Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) said banks will continue to extend repayment assistance, including an extension of existing moratorium where applicable, to individuals who have been affected by the MCO.

On January 16, the Ministry of Health reported a record high of 4,029 new cases, surpassing 3,377 cases that were reached prior to the aforementioned date.