Malaysia to reimpose COVID-19 lockdown, petchem sector allowed to operate

The Malaysian government on 11 January 2021 announced the targeted lockdown at eight states and territories in the country for two weeks starting 13 January 2021 to curb the spread of COVID-19. 

Affected areas including Selangor, Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Labuan), Johor, Penang, Sabah, and Melaka, where all social activities are banned, and interstate travels are prohibited nationwide. 

However, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) announced that the government decided to allow five essential economic sectors to continue operating during the lockdown to reduce the impact on the economy. These sectors are manufacturing, construction, services, trade, and distribution, as well as plantations and commodities. 

Petrochemical and petrochemical products fall under the manufacturing sector and would be able to remain operating throughout the lockdown period. Yet, manufacturers are still waiting for further instructions from the Ministry pertaining to the operating rates during these two weeks. 

A couple of converters in the PE and PVC sectors said that plants are allowed to maintain normal operating, however, the number of administrative staff and workers at the premises must not be more than 30% of the total number of employees at any point in time. No official guidelines from the government at the time of this report.