Avoid bringing kids to crowded places to prevent infection
ISAW a young woman in office wear signalling a man behind her, who was clasping a baby close to his chest, as she whizzed through the crowd at a Ramadan bazaar in Shah Alam the other day.
She was clutching several plastic bags containing food for breaking fast and stopped momentarily to holler to the husband to quicken his pace.
The husband, also in office wear, appeared annoyed and the baby was crying.
“Baby kena asap satay tadi. Sebab tu dia nangis! (Our baby was consumed by smoke from the grilled satay just now. That’s why she’s crying!),” the husband said.
I saw the satay seller was using an electric fan for the grill rack, causing smoke to billow.
Out of nowhere, a lady hawking tomato and chicken rice at the spot where the couple stopped told them in a rather loud voice: “Virus lagi bahaya, dik! Buat apalah bawa baby ni?!” (Virus is more dangerous, sis! What are you thinking bringing the baby here?!)
I thought it was “timely advice”. Without responding, the couple walked away. But then the young woman returned to the lady, slipping away her face mask and blurting: “Jangan suka jaga tepi kain orang lain, boleh tak? Awak tak tahu keadaan orang. Jangan dok hentam kromo!” (Mind your own business. You don’t know my situation. Don’t just criticise us!)
It was clear that the couple were tired after a long day at the office. They did not have time to cook, and had to buy food for the breaking of fast.
They obviously did not have a choice but to bring junior along. Probably, the nursery they sent their baby to was closed for the day.
It is quite normal to see young parents with children in crowded places these days, not just at Ramadan bazaars. If one were to saunter along Masjid India or Chow Kit or in any shopping mall, there is a greater chance of seeing this scenario.
The risk is always there. This is the reason medical experts are asking the government to consider banning children under 12, who are largely unvaccinated, from entering Ramadan bazaars.
Epidemiologist Dr Malina Osman said the government should intervene as only 0.9 per cent, or 33,621 of the 3.6 million children in the age group, are fully vaccinated. Some 38.1 per cent are partially vaccinated.
It is crucial to let the public know that the number of children infected with Covid-19 in intensive care units (ICU) is high.
In March, the Health Ministry tweeted that the admission of children to paediatric ICU wards due to Covid-19 infections had increased by 94 per cent for categories 3 to 5, with a spike of 200 and 125 cases in categories 4 and 5, respectively.
I suggest that young parents be reminded the nation is still in a transition to the endemic phase.
It would be good if these reminders — not to bring children along — are put on bunting in big capital letters at the entrance of crowded areas such as Ramadan bazaars.
It is important for local councils that allow the operations of these bazaars to go the extra mile in monitoring the area.
During the transition to the endemic phase, the community needs to learn to co-exist with Covid-19 in conditions that are least disruptive to daily life by adopting public health measures to protect themselves, their families and the community.
The government has reiterated that the standard operating procedures should be practised to ensure that Malaysia can move to the next phase safely.
Hence, bringing a baby or children under 11 to crowded places like Ramadan bazaars or shopping malls is just absurd.
The thing is, Ramadan bazaars offer a variety of scrumptious food for breaking fast.
Many had moaned about missing the sights and sounds, and the delectable dishes of Ramadan bazaars as they were not allowed to operate due to movement restrictions in the past two years.
Malaysians’ fixation on Ramadan bazaars is just incredible. Nevertheless, we must reflect on the essence of the holy month — it’s about fasting, observing the rituals and not feasting.