In March 2020 following the collapse of the PH government, he was appointed again as Senior Minister of Malaysia (Security Cluster) and Minister of Defence chosen by newly Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin to serve in the PN cabinet.[28] His tenure involved conducting daily briefings related to security issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, including those related to Movement Control Order (MCO) restrictions.[29][30][31] He criticised Al Jazeera for a documentary about treatment of immigrants during the MCO, demanding the network apologise for "false reporting".[32] During the 2020 Sabah state election, Ismail Sabri told the press that voters who had travelled to Sabah to vote from other states would not need to quarantine upon their return.[33][7]