Four sub-districts in Penang are currently in the red zone after reporting more than 40 Covid-19 cases. The Penang Remand Prison (in George Town subdistrict) here and the Seberang Prai Prison in Jawi (subdistrict 6) are currently placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO), which ends on Wednesday and Nov 18, respectively.

Upon the announcement of the extended Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) from 9 November to 6 December 2020, an updated version of the SOPs for economic activities have been released for the states under the CMCO.

Pear Anderson has been keeping track of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Southeast Asian travel industry. This is the latest update as of November 8, 2020. The Malaysian travel industry suffers the double whammy of extended lockdown restrictions in all but 4 states, as well as seeing its needs neglected in the proposed Budget 2021. Indonesia's tourism levels jump in Oct, with highs recorded for domestic passengers and flights - plus the first outbound Indonesian Umrah group arrives in Saudi Arabia.

Due to the recent announcement of the extension of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) throughout most of the country until 6 December, AMCHAM has decided to postpone our much-loved Thanksgiving Luncheon to accommodate the rules around larger groups

Initially scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 24 November at Hilton Kuala Lumpur we are working with the hotel for an alternative date in mid-December. We will continue observing developments and SOPs and keep you informed.

We will continue to watch for further developments and changes in the SOPs in the coming weeks and make an informed decision closer to date about proceeding. We are hoping that come December we will all be able to safely celebrate together.

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to reach out to Serena at serena@amcham.com.my or Elaine at elaine@amcham.com.my

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The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) announced today the transformative appointments of four respected industry trailblazers to its Board of Directors, highlighting its commitment to intensify efforts to reinvent the nation’s digital economy in the era of 4IR, and towards the vision of Malaysia 5.0.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and its economic impact increases, the productivity and reallocation imperative for sales, general, and administrative (SG&A) activities continues to sharpen. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought rapid change to organizations as they strive to adapt to the next normal. Transformations that would typically take years to implement are being achieved in a few months—such as skyrocketing growth in e-commerce and omnichannel platforms and the rapid implementation of automation technologies.