Starting over
How to live the new normal life
YESTERDAY wasn’t like March 18 at all. As the Movement Control Order (MCO) moulted into the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), the noise and haste of city living returned like a blast from the recent past. Vehicles are back on the roads coughing out clouds of smoke, courtesy of fossil fuels. But do not mistake these signs for a return to an old normal. This may never be the case. Like the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) will always be there. If we slip just a little, it will strike back like an angry empire. A vaccine may save us, but even then we shouldn’t let our guard down because the coronavirus can mutate. Whatever the scenario, Covid-19 protocols must become our second nature.
CMCO doesn’t mean the MCO has ended. It is alive and well. We will know if it will be extended come May 12, when it is set to end. The government will of course keep a keen eye on the infection rate and the death toll before deciding one way or another. Equally important is our adherence to Covid-19 protocol: social discipline and personal hygiene. This is deadly important. It is only by doing this we can contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Failing to follow such a protocol also means placing no value on the lives of our frontliners who are putting theirs at risk to save ours.
Anecdotal evidence indicates not all of us are so disciplined. Crowds form so easily at restaurants and retail outlets, giving short shrift to social distancing. Little wonder, some states have decided to either delay the CMCO or modify it to suit their needs. They know better. Their eyes are fixed on the Covid-19 dashboard. Selangor, which is picking and choosing the CMCO menu, has the highest number of cases in the country. Others are either following Selangor’s footsteps or doing what they think is best for them. This is understandable. Some businesses are either not ready to resume operations or are unwilling to follow the Covid-19 protocol. For the former, it is wise to give them time to restart. For the latter, it is wise, again, to keep them shut. It only takes one slip or a blatant disregard to send the infections spiralling.
There are some who argue that SARS-CoV-2 doesn’t grow exponentially. They are wrong. Viruses are really textbook examples of exponential growth. Just look at the numbers and watch at what multiples they grow. There is even a Sherlockesque logic to it: existing cases cause new cases, at a certain multiple. It is true here and elsewhere. All you need is one infected person coming into contact with a pool of uninfected persons. This is why reducing contact is a key success factor in bringing down the rate of infections. This is the logic of the World Health Organisation’s “Stay Home” battle cry. We, as always, Malaysia-like, call it “Stay At Home”. The success of the CMCO, meaning the eventual lifting of the MCO, depends on us. Our attitude and action will determine whether we get through this together, or some among us will spoil it for all of us. We must not let the latter happen. As the saying goes, our attitude will determine our altitude. It will be a learning experience for many. In some ways, unprecedented, too.
Vehicles are back on the roads coughing out clouds of smoke, courtesy of fossil fuels. But do not mistake these signs for a return to an old normal.