Health DG's birthday wish is for M'sians to heed his daily reminder

CORONAVIRUS | As he turns 57 tomorrow, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah birthday wish is none other than for Malaysians to heed a reminder he has often repeated.

“The most special gift for me is, if possible, for Malaysians to continue to remain at home and maintain high hygiene standards,” he said in a video posted by Bernama TV on Facebook today.

Noor Hisham has been the public face of Malaysia’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, holding press conferences daily to keep Malaysians updated on the latest situation.

This is especially the case after political manoeuvres during the Sheraton Move in February left Malaysia without a health minister, and after the newly appointed Health Minister Dr Adham Baba largely disappeared from public view after his ‘warm water’ remark.

At the opening of nearly every press conference since the movement control order (MCO) came into effect, Noor Hisham had repeatedly reminded Malaysians to stay home and maintain high levels of personal hygiene.

He also reminded Malaysians to frequently wash their hands with soap and water, and practice social distancing by staying at least one metre away from other people.

The MCO is now is in its 33rd day, and will expire on April 28 unless extended.

With only 36 cases, the number of new cases reported today is the lowest since the order came into effect, down from a peak of 235 cases on March 26.

Noor Hisham had expressed hope that the number of cases will go down further to single-digits next week, but cautioned against complacency as the number of cases could rise again.

He said Malaysia would gradually transition into a “new normal” after the end of the MCO, and some restrictions will remain in place for three to six months.

Keep up with the latest information on the outbreak in the country with Malaysiakini's free Covid-19 tracker.

Malaysiakini is providing free access to the most important updates on the coronavirus pandemic. You can find them here.

Help keep independent media alive - subscribe to Malaysiakini.

MCO has led to a much cleaner Klang River

More pets being dumped during MCO - Malaysian Animal Association

Meeting ministers under MCO, Zahid's daughter tells critic to lodge police report

No entry: After serving time, MCO offender returns home to barbed wires