Sep. 7--BANGKOK -- Dozens of Malaysians were stranded at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday after a ban on arrivals from 23 countries kicked in. 

Around 50 Malaysians who arrived on a flight from London were prevented from leaving the airport, according to local media reports, after apparent confusion among officials over whether the ban includes Malaysians arriving from the blacklisted countries.

Last week the government said it would block arrivals, including long-term work visa holders, from countries that have recorded more than 150,000 cases of the novel coronavirus.

While Malaysia ditched most domestic curbs when ending a seven-week lockdown on May 4, Malaysians remain mostly prohibited from leaving the country and a ban on all tourist arrivals has been extended to December 31.

The remaining restrictions are being enforced with dozens, sometimes hundreds, of daily arrests. Some 873 people were detained on Sunday for infractions, according to Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Almost 600 of those arrested were snared at nightclubs open in defiance of a ban scheduled to last until the end of the year, the minister said on Monday.

An opinion survey published last week showed more than 90 per cent of Malaysians backing the government's pandemic response.

Malaysia's Ministry of Health announced on Monday that 62 more people had contracted the virus, taking the cumulative total since the first reported case in January to 9,459, of which around 200 are listed as "active."

In Malaysia, 128 people have died after a positive coronavirus test.

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