KUALA LUMPUR: A local research team has recommended that the Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed by the government to help contain the Covid-19 pandemic be lifted in staggered phases.
The researchers said the staggered lifting is paramount to resume economic activities in the country after some businesses came to a halt due to the MCO, which started on March 18.
The team, led by Prof Dr Naomie Salim from the Faculty of Engineering of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, has conducted research on the impact of lockdown on infection dynamics in relation to the MCO.
Her team members from the same faculty are Dr Chan Weng Howe, Prof Dr Shuhaimi Mansor, Dr Nor Erne Nazira Bazin, Assoc Prof Dr Ahmad Athif Mohd Faudzi, Assoc Prof Dr Anazida Zainal, Dr Sharin Hazlin Huspi, Eric Khoo Jiun Hooi, Shaekh Mohammad Shithil, and a public health physician in epidemiology, Dr Safiya Amaran from the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin.
Naomie said her team suggested that staggered implementation can be executed according to each location’s outbreak control level. “It can be done by zones, based on the Covid-19 health index; for instance, red zone (remain enhanced MCO), orange zone (continued MCO but increased alertness) and yellow zone (partial MCO with good practice of social distancing and hygiene),” she said.
Red zones are districts with more than 41 cases, while orange zones have 20-40 cases, yellow zones (one-19 cases), and green zones are those with no cases of Covid-19.
The team cautioned that the government cannot lift the MCO altogether as long as there are still new cases being reported, as this may trigger another wave of infections.
They explained that the first phase of MCO showed some effect but was still inadequate to halt the outbreak due to lack of understanding and preparation among the people.
They added that the second phase of MCO with enhanced measures may restrict movement, but this gradual enforcement may delay the break of this chain of infection.
On their view about a possible extension yet again of the MCO, her team opined that all precautionary measures must be taken to restrict the contact of an infected person, especially those who are under home surveillance and self-quarantine.
Meanwhile, the research forecast that the earliest possible time for the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia to peak is April 19 and the latest estimated peak may be end of May, depending on the type of prediction model. – April 9, 2020, Bernama
