KUALA LUMPUR May 10 (CNA) - Malaysia’s movement control order (MCO) will be extended for a further month until Jun 9, its fourth extension since it was enforced on Mar 18, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said.

In a special address on Sunday (May 10), the prime minister said even though the country saw many positive developments in its fight against COVID-19, the efforts have not fully succeeded. The MCO was originally scheduled to end on Tuesday.

"Based on public opinion, I realised that people want the government to continue to take the necessary steps to fight against the epidemic.

"Therefore, on the advice of the Ministry of Health and the National Security Council, I would like to announce that the conditional MCO, which was enforced until May 12, will be extended until Jun 9, which is another four more weeks," he said.

The MCO, which took effect since Mar 18 to rein in the spread of COVID-19, has previously been extended three times at a two-week increment.

Under the partial lockdown, non-essential businesses and schools were shut while domestic and international travel was prohibited.

There are signs that the restrictions have successfully brought down the number of new infections in Malaysia. From the initial three-digit hike, new cases slowed to mostly two-digit increase beginning mid-April.

As of Saturday, the country reported a total of 6,589 cases and 108 deaths. Close to 75 per cent of the patients have recovered.

To mitigate the economic impact, Putrajaya rolled out three economic stimulus packages worth RM260 billion (US$60 billion).

Mr Muhyiddin said in his May 1 address that total losses due to the COVID-19 curbs were estimated at RM63 billion.

The government has eased some COVID-19 curbs by allowing the majority of economic sectors to resume their operations beginning May 4 under a “conditional MCO”, in a move welcomed by industry players.