More than three-quarters of Japanese companies operating in Malaysia have resumed operations, after a hiatus of nearly two months caused by the coronavirus pandemic, an NNA survey shows.
According to the May 7-8 poll to which 128 business entities responded, 76.6 percent had restarted activities such as production and sales as of last Friday, including 17.2 percent working at the same level of operations as before the COVID-19 outbreak.
Among companies yet to normalize business affairs, 57.6 percent said they will gradually resume such activities after mid-May, the NNA survey found.
Some companies working with limited operations responded they face a drop in orders to comply with restrictions imposed by local governments in the Southeast Asian country.
Of the total respondents to the NNA survey, manufacturers accounted for 46.9 percent, sales firms and traders 24.2 percent and other services firms 15.6 percent.
The Malaysian government implemented a Movement Control Order on March 18 to curb travel and business activities. It has extended the lockdown measure four times, making it effective until July 9, while conditionally relaxing restrictions on various social and business activities on May 4.