Malaysia isn’t yet anywhere close to a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, with infections continuing to rise. As the government continues to take steps to stem the tide of the virus, Genting Malaysia Bhd has announced that their resorts will remain closed until April 28.
The company posted the announcement on their website, in a prominent popup. It reads:
“Following the announcement made by the Prime Minister of Malaysia to extend the Movement Control Order (“MCO”), please be informed that Genting Malaysia Berhad’s headquarters in Wisma Genting, Kuala Lumpur, Resorts World Genting (RWG), Resorts World Awana, Resorts World Kijal and Resorts World Langkawi will continue to be closed until 28 April 2020.”
Digging deeper into the site’s notice page, they add, “Operations at our Resorts will resume upon the lifting of the MCO. We will continue to monitor the situation and make the necessary announcements as more information becomes available.”
But they don’t want the public to think the resort is becoming dilapidated during this shutdown. “We would like to assure you that, despite the temporary closure, we have heightened our already stringent hygiene practices to safeguard the health and safety of all our guests and employees,” they wrote. “This will ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience once we reopen.”
Resorts World Genting initially shut down on March 18, when Malaysia had a total of 790 COVID-19 cases. It then extended the closure on March 26 to April 14, noting the MCO as a motivating factor. At that point, the country had 1,796 cases.
Since then, the spread of the disease may not have exploded, as it has in the U.S. or some European countries, but it continues to rise at an alarming rate. It currently has 4,817 cases, second most for South East Asia trailing only the Philippines. That’s caused the government to extend and re-inforce the MCO, allowing even fewer businesses to operate.
But the curve is starting to flatten, suggesting whatever the country’s doing, it seems to be working. Whereas the number of new cases was increasing by as much as 6% per day toward the end of March, it’s now increasing only 3% per day. It’s the same total number of cases, meaning the country might be at the point where the number of new cases decreases consistently, returning it to some sense of normalcy.
