There is no ‘best time’ to restart Malaysia — Coalition

KUCHING: The Malaysian Health Coalition (MHC) is calling upon the government to carry out the restart of the nation’s economy and society in phases, to be aided by consultations from medical and public health experts, as well as from state governments and local authorities.

The coalition understands that the Movement Control Order (MCO) carries psychological, emotional and economic costs to the people and thus, it cannot be imposed indefinitely.

MHC also stresses that there is ‘no best time to restart Malaysia’.

“We urge for any restart to be done in phases, with appropriate consultations with medical and public health experts as well as state and local governments, and with time for businesses to prepare,” said MHC in a statement yesterday.

It also called upon the government to expand testing capacity to include those who might not be showing symptoms – the ‘asymptomatic carriers’, stating that this would serve as a crucial step as more and more people would return to public life.

“Expanded testing capacity must also come with higher contact-tracing and isolation capacity to ensure that the chain of transmission is effectively broken.”

MHC said it supported the government’s position in encouraging the use of face masks in public.

However, it regarded the masks as ‘not being a magic solution’ – such exercise must go hand-inhand with regular hand-washing or sanitising, avoiding touching the face, as well as observing physical distancing and also other guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

In this aspect, it said education must be enhanced for this ‘new normality’.

“It is the collective responsibility of all members of society to prevent further spread of Covid19. The relevant authorities must closely monitor the planning, training, and compliance with MCO guidelines and SOPs, especially in sectors and areas that will be reopening.

“Visible legal action must be taken against those who break the rules. It is in the self-interest of businesses to act responsibly to ensure the health of employees and customers, and not reopen before the necessary measures are in place.