A health quarantine officer waits for passengers at a thermal screening point in the international arrivals terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, March 10, 2020. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 — The Education Ministry (MoE) has directed its learning institutions to defer all mass gatherings to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) locally.

The ministry said this was pursuant to the Health Ministry’s recommendations for all such events to be avoided, if possible, to aid in its efforts to contain Covid-19 in the country.

“As such, the MoE has decided that all ministry events featuring mass gatherings, such as sports events and co-curricular activities, for March be postponed to a time that will be specified later,” it said in a statement.

Coincidentally, national schools will begin their first-term break from tomorrow until March 21.

The ministry went on to advise all its workers to observe the standard operating procedures put in place to guide their response to the pandemic.

Authorities are increasingly postponing or cancelling public events after the second wave of Covid-19 infections hit the country and sharply increased the number of confirmed cases.

The country recorded nine more cases yesterday, bringing the national total to 158.

The World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic this week to trigger an escalation of governmental response to the disease.