Dear Diary,
It’s been a full two months of the Movement Control Order (MCO) and its variations. How time has flown by.
It seems just like yesterday that we were put in a semi-lockdown. The good news is we seem to have Covid-19 under control although we did have more new cases than the past few days.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah delivered his royal address in Parliament today.
This was the first time Parliament met since the change of government in March and was the third term of the 14th Parliament.
During his speech, Al Sultan Abdullah was joined by MPs in the august House as they stood and clapped as a sign of appreciation to frontliners in the country who have been working tirelessly in the battle against Covid-19.
The Agong also said he tried to convince Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad not to resign during the political crisis in February to no avail and this led to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin taking over.
He then cautioned politicians not to drag the country once again into political turmoil and urged the government to look for ways to help companies and businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, I feel like I’ve been here before. Nearly two months ago, on March 22 to be exact – the day Liverpool was expected to have wrapped up the English Premier League (EPL).
Last night was supposed to have been the end of the season with Newcastle away coming a week after the presentation of the EPL trophy following the home match against Chelsea.
Now, everything is in limbo with some clubs and players against restarting the season next month.
Former Chelsea doctor Dr Eva Carneiro has warned English football may be returning too soon, even though the Bundesliga resumed its season over the weekend while South Korean football began two weekends ago.
Teams in Spain began group training today as La Liga may restart next month.
Here’s how Day 62 of MCO unfolded.
7.13am: REFLECTIONS – What lessons have you learnt from MCO?
8.27am: BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS – India extends lockdown to May 31 but will relax rules in some areas to slowly open up the economy.
10.16am: TASTY – Received this via WhatsApp. It’s been a year since the launch of the book. Good reminder ahead of the Hari Raya celebrations that rendang isn’t supposed to be crispy!
11.35am: ITCHING FOR ACTION – La Liga chief confirms clubs will resume group training today, a sign the season will resume within a month.
12.49pm: VIRTUAL FIRST – World Health Organisation gets ready for its first virtual assembly – trimmed from the usual three weeks to just two days – but fears abound US-China tensions could derail the strong action needed to address the Covid-19 crisis.
1.13pm: FOUL – FC Seoul apologises for ‘sex dolls’ in stands but claims they were actually “premium mannequins” but from a supplier that produces sex toys!
2pm: SUPER ZEROES – Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob says some people have used false names such as ‘Batman’ and ‘Superman’ when entering business premises. Some have even put false phone numbers. This will make it difficult to trace them.
Despite warnings that interstate travel is prohibited without permits, 1,175 vehicles were turned back from state borders by the police yesterday.
Also, the National Security Council and Health Ministry will discuss amending the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act to take action against parents who bring their children to crowded places like shopping malls or supermarkets.
4.55pm: SLIGHT RISE – There are 47 new cases today, more than double yesterday’s 22. This brings the total to 6,941. Zero deaths for the second day running leaves fatalities at 113. Another 44 patients have been discharged, meaning 5,615 have been cured.
5.30pm: HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT – P. Funk started in a barber shop in New Jersey, USA. George Clinton and his soon-to-be band members formed a doo-wop group called ‘The Parliaments’ – which was named after a brand of cigarettes. Here’s a sample of their song.
