PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will learn if the recovery movement control order (MCO) will end or be extended this week.

The recovery MCO is scheduled to end on Aug 31 and the Health Ministry has recommended that the phase should be extended.

"The announcement will be made by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. It will likely be this week, since the announcement (on MCO extensions) is usually made a week before. So let's just wait patiently," said Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob at a press conference on Tuesday (Aug 25).

The Health Ministry's recommendation to extend the MCO is based on the World Health Organisation's statement that the Covid-19 pandemic is projected to last for at least two years.

The recovery MCO took effect on June 10 after replacing the previous conditional MCO phase.

Under the recovery MCO, business and education sectors are allowed to reopen in stages but standard operating procedures (SOP) are strictly enforced by the government.