AMID speculation that the Government may impose a third movement control order (MCO), a public health expert said the authorities have little choice on the matter following a spike in COVID-19 cases.
“The way I see it, the Government can impose a full MCO in the Klang Valley. Within a month, the number of COVID-19 cases will drop sharply.
“Another option is for the Government to impose a conditional MCO and target on areas with the most number of infections. Of course, the infection numbers won’t drop as sharply as a full MCO but things will be more relaxed with some economic activity still running.
“In my opinion, I think the Government will go with the second option,” Malaysian Public Health Physicians Association president Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar told FocusM.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that the Government would review the MCO, especially in states experiencing a drastic increase on coronavirus cases.
He said this was important to ensure that the standard operating procedure (SOP) and measures taken were effective in curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Muhyiddin added that the Government had implemented the Hotspots Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) early warning system to identify areas or premises which are at risk.
“These premises will be ordered to close if they are detected to have been visited by a large number of positive COVID-19 cases. This approach is in tandem with the Government’s decision to control and curb the coronavirus spread in a targetted manner.
“Monitoring is conducted daily to identify high-risk public locations which attract crowds. I appeal to the public to observe SOP and avoid crowded places in order to protect themselves, their family and the community,” The Malaysian Reserve reported him as saying.
Let workers to work from home
While many had criticised the speculated MCO, Parti Sosialis Malaysia chairperson Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj had a different take on the matter.
“In my view, as long as a majority of our population is not vaccinated, we need some form of a MCO to keep the pandemic at bay. We don’t need to be rocket scientist to figure that one out,” the former Sungai Siput MP was reported saying.
Touching on the matter, Zainal said that it was important for the Government to enhance its community screening, with or without a MCO, to detect COVID-19 positive cases quickly and quarantine them.
“Among the places where screening has to be intensified are schools, universities and other teaching and learning premises,” he stressed.
With that said, Zainal urged employers to allow their employees to work from home (WFH) as the COVID-19 situation is getting worse.
“We need to limit contact and mobility. If the employee can work from home, then let them to do. Employers must understand that most of the reported outbreak happen at workplace areas,” he remarked. – May 2, 2021.
