PREVENTION OF DISEASE IS IN ALL OUR HANDS
WITH the sharp rise in the number of cases internationally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has elevated Covid-19 to a pandemic level.
A pandemic is a disease that is spreading in multiple countries at the same time.
Foremost in the battle against this pandemic is the public understanding of the facts to dispel rumours and fake news.
The concept of cure is to allow personnel and facilities to cope with cases at a manageable level. If the intake of patients is higher than the rate of recovery, we will face acute problems.
That is why the public could, and should, play an important role at least to slow down the spread.
Measures include controlled entry into the country, minimising public events and minimising contact through social distancing.
These measures will undoubtedly result in lower economic activities affecting economic growth. It is for this reason that the additional stimuli is needed to help the people to pull through these hard times.
The RM20 billion stimulus package announced earlier needs to be reviewed and revised upward to help those who are hardest hit by Covid-19.
The government needs to help not only the tourism industry but also many other sectors.
The Covid-19 challenge has to be addressed by urgent and aggressive action with more intensive education and awareness programmes to mobilise the community to combat the pandemic.
The biggest challenge is how to deal with large cluster or community transmission.
This requires the fullest co-operation of the community in not participating in huge gatherings such as conferences or religious congregations to prevent the virus taking a hold.
If the situation worsens schools, colleges and universities may have to be closed.
I am confident our country has the necessary experience and expertise to manage this crisis.
The front-line personnel are working double time to support recovery efforts. They are really our unsung heroes.
The government does not have the monopoly of public health and safety. It is vested in all of us, the community.
What is needed now is the cooperation of all levels of society so that together we can recover from this crisis.