KUALA LUMPUR (March 13): On March 18, 2020, the first Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed and there was much uncertainty among the public and business community over what would happen next. One year on, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has taken 1,177 lives and infected 314,989 people in the country (as at March 10).

Despite the grim circumstances, many see light at the end of the tunnel as Malaysia rolls out its National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NCIP).

The economy is seeing signs of recovery too, as indicated by recent data. With the worst behind us, what are the immediate challenges facing the country? 

Speaking to experts, we identify three main areas that beckons attention — healthcare, economy and last but not least politics.

Covid-19 is still raging on globally, and the challenge is to vaccinate the community as quickly as possible so as to not allow the more transmissible variants to get a foothold in the community.

Meanwhile, vaccine effectiveness is seen as one key driver for economic recovery. When that has effectively been executed, the focus should be on repairing the damage that has been caused by the pandemic.

Many also believe that political stability is one challenge Malaysia will face. There is a need to exit from the emergency rule and for the country to be given a clear mandate from a stable government.

In the accompanying stories, we take a look at the winners and losers in the post-pandemic era. Will pandemic winners such as the glove and technology players continue to prosper? Will the tourism, retail, hospitality and manufacturing industries as well as small and medium enterprises move away from the dire conditions brought on by Covid-19 anytime soon?

Nonetheless, it has been a fruitful year for local equities since the pandemic outbreak, with healthcare and technology stocks being the top gainers. What can we expect for the rest of the year after stock prices for most sectors rebounded significantly from their lows last year? We speak to heads of research to find out what they think about the market direction. 

Get the full story in this week’s issue of The Edge Malaysia.

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