How a religious gathering led to lockdown

(FASTNEWS |Kuala Lumpur) – All of Malaysia has now entered a state of lockdown, triggered in part by a religious gathering that was attended by about 16,000 people.

The three-day event in late February was held at the sprawling Jamek Mosque, located on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia now has 673 confirmed cases of the virus, of which 400 have been linked to the religious event, local reports say.

On Tuesday, a 34-year-old Malaysian man who attended the event died – the first death linked to the mass gathering.

The country has now closed its borders to all foreigners in an effort to control the coronavirus outbreak.

But it might be a case of too little, too late.

Around 1,500 foreigners who attended the event have already gone back to their countries and several of them have now tested positive for Covid-19 including those from Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia and most recently, Vietnam.