Dear Diary,
Today marks the start of the third phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO). The government is preparing 13 venues to detain covidiots who still don’t get it. Hopefully, by locking them up, there will be fewer or none of them around.
Today’s encouraging numbers – only 85 new cases – give us hope we are flattening the curve and MCO may soon be a thing of the past.
Here’s how Day 29 of MCO unfolded.
6.16am: SALVATION – Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan says only Jesus can save us from Covid-19.
7.20am: BLAME GAME – President Donald Trump announces ‘halting funding’ of the World Health Organisation just as 2,200 Covid-19 deaths are reported in the US in the past 24 hours. He says the review would cover WHO’s “role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus”. He certainly is good at blaming others.
7.47am: SHOW ME THE MONEY – The US Department of Justice repatriates US$300 million (RM1.292 billion) in additional funds misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad. Hopefully, the money will be put to good use.
8.30am: PLAY BALL – Professional sports in Florida get the green light to resume production after the Florida Governor’s Office deemed them “essential services”. This includes WWE. I wonder what Hulk Hogan is thinking?
9.51am: THE PRICE AIN’T RIGHT – Twentytwo13 creative editor Amar Qastellani Tajuddin wanted to buy Dettol and nearly fainted when he saw the price.
10.02am: LONG HAUL – Harvard scientists say on-off social distancing may be needed until 2022 to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.
11.23am: HAIR-RAISING – Barbershop U-turns and more during the recording of RSS with HD Extended which premiered at 4pm today.
12.01pm: AIRCOND FEARS – A study of 10 coronavirus cases from three families who dined at the same restaurant in southern China has suggested that air-conditioning aided droplet transmission between them.
2pm: NEW HOMES FOR MCO VIOLATORS – Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob says the government will convert 13 prison academies into detention centres for those who don’t adhere to MCO. Up to yesterday, 9,702 have been arrested since March 18.
3.46pm: MORE MASKS AND GLOVES – Home Ministry receives one million face masks and 20,000 rubber gloves from three companies.
4.01pm: COVIDIOTS OF THE DAY – 13 youths were arrested for having a birthday party in a service apartment at Jalan Pangkor, Penang. In the early days of MCO, there were parties in Kajang and Ipoh too. All involved were charged in court under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020 which provides for a maximum penalty of six months in jail or a fine of up to RM1,000 or both.
Separately, a delivery man was alert enough to discover a Covidiot was trying to smuggle drugs with an order of roti canai.
4.21pm: NO EXAMS FOR NOW – Education Minister Radzi Jidin says 2020 SPM examination will be held in the first quarter of next year while UPSR and PT3 are cancelled. No date set for schools to reopen.
5.12pm: SATAY TREAT – Satay Kajang for dinner. Those in Subang can call Din at 017-3585446 to place your orders by 1pm. Pick up, 5pm, at USJ 7 food court.
5.38pm: CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC – For the first time since ‘The MCO Diaries’ began on March 18, we have fewer than 100 new cases. Today’s 85 cases bring the total to 5,072 (we hit 4,000 on April 7). One new death makes it 83 fatalities.
6pm: IN MEMORY OF THE 96 – 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives at Hillsborough 31 years ago today. Here’s You’ll Never Walk Alone, but this time by Elvis Presley.