Malaysia must abandon ideas of an economic and social lockdown not proven to be useful from a scientific perspective because it will result in a "devastating level of poverty," the Center for Market Education said Monday.
Malaysia plans to shut the economy down Feb. 4 if virus infections don't slow soon, the government says.
But tightening containment measures will bring Malaysia to the verge of economic collapse, the center's chief executive Dr. Carmello Ferlito said.
Better data and communication about the virus is required and people must be permitted to make informed risk assessments and change their own behavior - more effective in fighting COVID than lockdowns, the center said.
"From an economic perspective a decision to completely shut down the economy, including manufacturing, can only be driven by a poor understanding of how the economy works. The economy cannot be divided into independent sectors. On the contrary it is an intricate web of connections, in particular human interactions," Ferlito said in a statement.
The European Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or Eurocham, in Malaysia has warned members of the tightening of measures. Eurocham chief executive officer Sven Schneider said the Ministry of Trade and Industry was "appealing to all companies, foreign and local, to join the effort of reducing infections to keep the economy open for business."
"There have been cases where poor housing conditions or transportation compliance...has led to rising infections. Companies sometimes are not aware, but the government encourages them to strengthen communication and coordination with employment agencies and outsourcing partners for the benefit of all," Eurocham said.
At the same time, companies are also requested to establish basic quarantine spaces and ensure social distancing was executed.
There were 4,275 new cases reported Sunday - the highest daily increase. All cases now number 180,455.
Malaysia said this past weekend existing health measures had so far failed to curb the spread of infections, the Straits Times reported.
Essential services wouldn't be affected by the extension of the country's movement control orders.
The ministry gave the manufacturing sector an early warning of the potential shutdown in a meeting Friday.
A ministry representative said it would share details "in due time" if there were updates to existing COVID procedures.
