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Sabah's economy, development level plus questions of internet connectivity and access to rural areas poses additional challenges to think through the support following the fallout of MCO strategy. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan to the Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Member of Parliament for Semporna and ADUN for Senallang, Sabah.

Six criteria were laid out for a lifting of the MCO including border control and public health capacity which in Sabah are particularly challenging considering its porous border and large stateless population. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan to the Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Member of Parliament for Semporna and ADUN for Senallang, Sabah.

The Selayang wholesale market has been placed under an enhanced MCO which predominantly affects migrant workers and Rohingya refugees who earn a living in the area. While this has brought out compassion in some, it’s also brought out xenophobia in others. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan look at this and the dangers of a possible “rent crisis”.

Today is the third consecutive day that Singapore has reported more than 1,000 new cases in a day. The vast majority of new cases are work permit holders residing in vast foreign worker dormitories with inadequate standards. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Alex Au, Vice President, Transient Workers Count Too for a critical look at this marginal community now said to be the centre of the pandemic.

Singapore had initial success in keeping infection numbers low. However, critics have pointed out that Singapore had failed to prepare for the possibility of an outbreak among foreign workers who were vulnerable to infection. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Bilveer Singh, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore on the Singapore government's strategy.

According to Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, six criteria need to be fulfilled before the government can decide to lift the MCO. Included are border control, movement control, the readiness of the healthcare services system and protection of high-risk groups. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan look at the top news of the day.

On January 10th, China shared the genetic sequence of COVID-19. And since then, there has been a mad scramble to find a vaccine. How far are we from a safe, manufacturable, vaccine for COVID-19? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Jean-Michel Piedagnel, Director of Southeast Asia,Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi).

The government has announced that it is trying to ensure that Malaysia gets the “first-mover" advantage when COVID-19 vaccines are made available. Is Malaysia well-placed to have vaccines available and accessible to all? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail, Executive Committee Member of the Malaysian Paediatric Association.

Director-General of Health, a letter to him by nine-year-old Lara Khadijah McAfee from Terengganu has gone viral on social media. In the letter she thanked DG Noor Hisham for all his work, and gifted him a loom band - a woven rubber bracelet. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan look at the some of the more interesting headlines of the day.

Earlier this week, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah revealed that Malaysia only has 19 days’ supply left of some PPE items -- or Personal Protective Equipment used by medical front-liners. Does Malaysia then need to adopt a strategy similar to that of the US’ Defense Production Act in which the Federal government can dictate what equipment is produced and where it goes?  Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Datuk Dr Rajah Rasiah, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Asia-Europe Institute, University Malaya.