LETTER | I strongly urge the public to stop all their panic-buying. 

Photos of long queues and crowds have flooded social media in light of the government’s announcement for a full nationwide lockdown next Tuesday in a bid to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

Photos of the long lines of people making grocery runs scream of danger. Coming out in droves and creating huge crowds only increases the risk of forming clusters.

Fear is human nature and natural, but please only do what is necessary in the interest of safety and health. The government has already given its assurance that there will be a sufficient food supply.

So please stop this selfish attitude of panic buying. We might end up with new clusters, more positive cases and, God forbid, more Covid-19 related deaths if this attitude continues.

There is also no need to hoard items; just buy what you need. We all went through this before in the first movement control order last year and we are aware that essential economic and services sectors will remain open throughout the duration.

The question remains - have we learnt from our past mistakes? Daily Covid-19 positive cases are nearly breaching the 10 thousand mark. I must remind everyone that non-compliance is costly and the ultimate price to pay is with human lives.

So my message is simple - please do your part. Adhere and comply with the standard operating procedures. It really is not that hard. Have a heart, sympathise and empathise with our frontliners.

They are facing an uphill task battling tooth and nail to protect and save lives. Victory is not even in sight yet. Do not let their efforts go in vain.

Our triumph over the Covid-19 pandemic will take a concerted effort from all Malaysians.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.