COMMENT | Covid-19: We must continue to be vigilant
COMMENT | After nearly two months of the movement control order (MCO) that was implemented to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, we are now well within the recovery MCO period.
According to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's announcement on June 7, 2020, the recovery MCO phase will be in effect from June 10, 2020, right up to Aug 31, 2020.
The recovery MCO replaces the previous conditional MCO, which in turn, replaced the original MCO.
Throughout the recovery MCO, we have seen the gradual resumption of certain services and the relaxation of certain rules which were put in place during the MCO phase.
Barbershops and saloons have been operating for a couple of weeks, cinemas are allowed...
COMMENT | After nearly two months of the movement control order (MCO) that was implemented to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, we are now well within the recovery MCO period.
According to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's announcement on June 7, 2020, the recovery MCO phase will be in effect from June 10, 2020, right up to Aug 31, 2020.
The recovery MCO replaces the previous conditional MCO, which in turn, replaced the original MCO.
Throughout the recovery MCO, we have seen the gradual resumption of certain services and the relaxation of certain rules which were put in place during the MCO phase.
Barbershops and saloons have been operating for a couple of weeks, cinemas are allowed to reopen, and many cheered when spas and reflexology centres are also allowed to operate beginning July 1.
Businesses are slowly recovering from months of inactivity. Shopping malls are filling up, even if not quite to the same volume of visitors as before.
Eateries, too, are beginning to see patrons returning, despite the social distancing rules in place.
These developments are in line with our daily Covid-19 numbers. Over the past 14 days, daily new cases have not exceeded more than 50, a far cry from the three-digit increases just a few months ago. In fact, on June 29, 2020, the country only recorded three new positive cases.
The Health Ministry says that it targets zero Covid-19 cases by mid-July.
According to the Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, this can be achieved if people fully comply with recovery MCO standard operating procedures (SOPs), especially on social distancing, face masks and regular sanitisation.
Of course, a large part of the country’s success in dealing with the public health aspect of Covid-19 is due to the dedicated and tireless men and women at the frontlines. The Covid-19 situation is under control because of our excellent civil service.
However, the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic is also being felt. Unemployment numbers are on the rise despite the resumption of businesses. The various aid packages announced by the government only cushion the blow somewhat, and for many, this is not enough.
The government is talking about tabling a Covid-19 bill to help deal with the impact of the pandemic in Parliament's July sitting. But even if such a bill is passed, it can only come into effect sometime in September. It has to pass through both Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.
September is far too late. People have lost jobs and have been adversely impacted by the pandemic since earlier this year. But since Parliament is only sitting in full in July, there is no other choice but to see the bill through.
More importantly, however, we must continue to be vigilant. There have been many instances of a "second wave" of infections in other countries. South Korea, for example, recently reported a spike in infections after successfully dealing with the coronavirus earlier this year. We do not want the same situation to occur in Malaysia.
Unfortunately, it is increasingly evident that we are becoming too relaxed. Social distancing rules are not being observed, (and this writer is also guilty of this) and people are beginning to stop wearing masks. Some shops no longer require people to register beforehand, and we are back to the "old normal" ways of doing things.
We must not take our eyes off the ball. A second wave will be disastrous for the country, and we may take longer to recover if the MCO is reimposed.
