‘Country can’t afford blanket MCO’
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia can no longer afford to impose a blanket Movement Control Order (MCO) as it will disrupt the economy and cause greater problems to the people, particularly those in the Bottom 40 per cent (B40) group and workers in the informal sector.
Former Health deputy directorgeneral (medical) Datuk Dr Rohaizat Yon said cooperation was instead needed from all quarters, including government agencies, the private sector and the public to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOP) to break the Covid-19 chain of transmission.
He said the number of daily cases surpassing the country’s record high of
5,728 on Jan 31 could happen if the SOP was not strictly followed.
He added that the country did not need a blanket MCO, but a more flexible approach as the Covid-19 pandemic could be managed by sharing the Health Ministry’s burden with all parties, be it the government, the private sector, communities and the public.
“Covid-19 is now in our community, especially with the emergence of new coronavirus variants,” he said.
“So there is a possibility that the number of cases can spike, as seen in the United States, Canada, India, Thailand and the Philippines.
“Therefore, whatever form of MCO is being enforced, it must be coupled with strict compliance with the SOP. This is most important.
“There is a chance that the number of cases may drop if people are united, and constantly adhere to the SOP, as well as practise the best ‘vaccines’, namely keeping a physical distance, wearing face masks, and frequently washing their hands.
“In March last year, we implemented the MCO without any experience. But now, we are more prepared to control the situation.
“During the first round of the MCO, the government lost about RM2.4 billion a day, with people in the B40 group who were selfemployed finding it hard to make a living,” he said in an interview with the New Straits Times Press.
He said the country succeeded in lowering the number of Covid-19 cases in July last year during the implementation of the Recovery MCO, and it showed that the country was on the right track as people had been complying with the movement restriction measures.
Dr Rohaizat said he believed that the public could be experiencing SOP fatigue, which caused people to take the rules lightly, contributing to the increase in daily new cases.
He added that activities or events involving large groups could also contribute to new cases, as seen in the emergence of the Sri Petaling and Teratai clusters.
“Sometimes, people do not wear face masks in meeting rooms or offices, with the reason that they are among friends. But we may not know the risks that they are bringing with them.
“We must practise whole-ofgovernment and whole-of-society approaches as implemented in Singapore, where all parties play a role in monitoring (SOP compliance).
“We must not rely just on the government.
“For example, at Hari Raya Aidilfitri bazaars, organisers must be responsible for ensuring that the SOP is strictly adhered to.
“The task of monitoring SOP compliance cannot be placed on the Health Ministry’s shoulders alone as the ministry is busy with contacttracing efforts, the vaccination programme, and managing patients.
“We must learn from experience and know that there is a risk of Covid-19 spreading, especially during large gatherings.”
The Alliance for Safe Community yesterday urged the authorities to impose partial lockdowns on Covid-19 worst-hit areas to control the alarming rise in infections.
With the number of daily new cases exceeding 3,000 recently and the prediction that the country might register 5,000 new cases daily by the end of the month, its chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, said the government faced a Hobson’s choice.
“We need to put in place more stringent SOP or even impose partial lockdowns over a specific period of time on worst-hit areas.
“The writing is clearly on the wall when the number of Covid19 infections keeps rising.
“Something drastic needs to be done to address this alarming trend. So it comes as no surprise that new SOP will soon be imposed on the states and territories where the concentration of cases is highest,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Lee said complacency had led to the current situation.
“It is not rocket science why we are facing this deluge of new cases We have been too complacent, too lackadaisical, too careless.
“In bazaars and in other areas, the number of people being in close proximity is alarming. Even the wearing of face masks in such crowded places is no guarantee of safety. We must still practise physical distancing.
“So we need new guidelines or the imposition of previous restrictions.”
He said it was imperative that before new guidelines and restrictions were introduced, there must be deep reflection based on past experiences.
“It must be clearly spelt out and not left to the individual law enforcer to interpret.
“In the past, this has led to confusion, resentment and defiance. A case in point is the burger seller in Kelantan who was issued with a compound of RM50,000, when the maximum fine should have been only RM2,000,” he added.
“This led to some comical and satirical TikTok videos on social media.
“It is paramount there must be a buyin from the public. This can be done only if there is public confidence and participation in the formulation and implementation of rules and regulations.
“It does not help when hefty fines are imposed on some people, but others are only given a slap on the wrist for not complying with the same SOP.
“Such incidents are not isolated cases as they seem to have become commonplace.
“We are equally responsible and should therefore be equally treated.
“Let’s brace ourselves for tougher measures to get through these difficult times.
“In doing so, let’s all be on the same page in terms of imposition, enforcement, consistency and purpose.”