The use of mouth and nose masks is not compulsory at this time but is highly recommended to prevent COVID-19 infection.

According to Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the use of the mask was encouraged especially in public areas.

"Wearing a mouth and nose mask is not an obligation but it is highly recommended," he said at a Ministry of Health (MoH) daily press conference here on Monday.

Dr Noor Hisham said in addition to the use of face masks, the one-meter social distancing should also be practised to prevent COVID-19 infection.

At the same time, he also reminded a number of economic sectors that were allowed to reopen to comply with the terms and standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the authorities.

He said if Malaysians continued to adopt new norms in everyday life, it would be able to break the deadly chain infection.