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PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has supported the move to implement the Conditional Motion Control Order (CMCO) as a means to further prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Its president, Professor Datuk Dr. M. Subramaniam, said that the CMCO was necessary as the number of cases has soared recently.
“The dense populations in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor will make it increasingly difficult to contain the spread of infections, hence the need for movement restrictions under a CMCO,” he said.
“Daily reported Covid-19 cases have been consistently in the triple digits and are alarmingly high.
“These increased restrictions under the CMCO are necessary to avoid a further increase that can potentially overwhelm our public health care,” he said.
Since most broadcasts are now community-based, reducing the number of people in public places would be key to preventing the virus from spreading.
Subramaniam said companies should get as many staff as possible to work from home to reduce the number of people in public places and on public transport, where overcrowding can increase the risk of transmission.
He added that general practitioners should be hired to assist the government in surveillance for Covid-19 by detecting low-risk people.
He said this would help identify the presence of Covid-19 in the community before it spreads further.
“People can go about their daily activities as long as physical distancing is observed and all other standard operating procedures are strictly adhered to.
“However, they should only go out into public places when absolutely necessary.”
Subramaniam noted that while there are restrictions on travel between districts, public transportation remains open under the CMCO. He said this meant that people were still able to travel freely between the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor areas by train for work or other reasons.
He urged the National Security Council to adjust this to avoid nonessential crossing to districts.
He said that in addition to encouraging work-from-home policies, the government should engage with stakeholders to introduce staggered shifts for certain sectors to reduce overcrowding in public transport and in cities.
“In the case of sports activities, contact sports are not allowed but people can still exercise on their own.”
He said that physical activity and exercise should be encouraged as it would help maintain and promote a strong immune system, which is necessary to protect against disease.
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