Mahathir Takes Coronavirus Test as He Goes Into Quarantine
Mahathir Takes Coronavirus Test as He Goes Into Quarantine
(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia’s former leader Mahathir Mohamad tested for the coronavirus on Tuesday after coming into contact with a lawmaker who was later confirmed to have the virus.
The 94-year-old imposed a two-week quarantine on himself since Wednesday, according to his spokesman, who declined to reveal the result of his test.
“All precautionary steps need to be taken at this moment, don’t take this matter lightly,” Mahathir posted on Twitter on Thursday. “This pandemic is very dangerous. It is a kind of a plague that’s spreading, that can infect tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people.
Mahathir is the nation’s longest-serving prime minister who ended his second stint in power last month when he abruptly resigned, setting off a power struggle that led to Muhyiddin Yassin emerging as the new premier. Mahathir has warned that the current pandemic is set to hit global economies harder than even the 1997 financial crisis. Malaysia is grappling with the highest number of infections in Southeast Asia with 900 confirmed cases.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.