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KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): “MCO, but not like MCO” – That is the perception of the general public about the movement control order, which is being implemented throughout the country, except in Sarawak.
The problem arose with the implementation of MCO 2.0, which is said to be less successful in beating the Covid-19 pandemic, with cases reaching four figures per day.
Many said it is because the MCO is not strictly enforced and this has caused concern that if the MCO is lifted, the spread of Covid-19 in the country will worsen.
For the president of the Malaysian Public Health Physicians Association, Datuk Dr. Zainal Ariffin Omar, what is most important is to tighten standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that the spread of the pandemic does not get worse.
“People are angry now because even if an MCO is imposed, the SOP is not fully met, it is as if there is no MCO.
“In fact, even if there is no OLS, that’s fine, but SOP is necessary to flatten the Covid-19 curve,” he told Bernama.
On January 25, Health Director General Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said that the MCO, which is scheduled to end on February 4, will not be extended to avoid negative effects on the country’s economy.
However, the next day, Chief Minister (Security Group) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that the decision to enforce the MCO more strictly or return to the conditional MCO would be up to the National Security Council.
Dr. Zainal Ariffin said that if the MCO is terminated and the conditional MCO continues, social gatherings or any gathering that involves a large crowd, and also interstate travel should be prohibited.
“Any event that takes place indoors, such as kenduri, banquet, birthday celebration that involves many people should not be allowed. Do like what is done in other countries, for example in Singapore, where a maximum of only five people at a social event.
“Apart from that, make the use of a mask mandatory, that is, when you leave the house, you should automatically wear the mask, or action face.
“Physical distancing should also be a priority, if there are many people gathered in shops or offices, take action,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Zainal Ariffin said the government should take stricter action against manufacturers, such as closing their factories, if there are reports that their workers have found positive results with Covid-19.
“For factories that registered a large number of cases, the government must be more severe … in the past, only when it involved thousands of new cases where they were ordered to close, but now if a factory registers only one or two cases, closure must be ordered, “he said.
He said the government should also inform people about its strategies to combat Covid-19, such as what US President Joe Biden did when publishing a 200-page strategy to combat the pandemic on its first day in The charge.
Dr. Zainal Ariffin said the government could also implement the target MCO by “closing down” states with high numbers of cases, such as Selangor and Johor.
He warned the public that even if OLS is removed and replaced with other strategies, the estimated number of positive cases would not decrease for at least 10 to 14 days after the Covid-19 incubation period.
Sharing the views of Dr. Zainal Ariffin is a virologist from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Associate Professor Dr. Yahya Mat Arip, who said that what the country needs is a targeted MCO, rather than being implemented across the world. country.
“As we are aware of the impact of MCO on society, especially in terms of the economy, but at the same time, we have to deal with Covid-19 … it is necessary to balance these two.
“Authorities have identified several sectors that are Covid-19 ‘hotspots’, so it is possible that the MCO could target these sectors,” he said, adding that an ideal period would be 14 days.
He said that regardless of MCO, conditional MCO, or recovery MCO implementation, it would be a futile effort to curb the spread of Covid-19 if public awareness is low.
He said that the MCO implementation is a physical effort to prevent the virus from finding a new (human) “host.”
That is why during the MCO, the government limits the movement and close interaction of “hosts” so that infection to new “hosts” can be prevented, he added.
He said that public awareness of adherence to prescribed SOPs is very important.
“We need to watch New Zealand society in its compliance with the SOPs and their success. Most understand the importance of complying with the SOPs, but some do not, and they are the ones that cause problems, “he added.
Therefore, he said, vaccination is the way to deal with Covid-19 in society, where by making them immune to the disease, the country will have a better chance of curbing the spread of the virus. – Bernama
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