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KUALA LUMPUR: People are advised not to bump their fist, a popular greeting gesture these days when meeting someone, in order to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Noor Azmi Ghazali, said the ministry did not encourage this form of physical contact between people.
“(There should not be) ‘salam’ and other forms of body contact, but today I see that the fist bump has not only become a trend, but some people even hug,” he said during question time at the Dewan Negara. .
“The ministry prefers to place its hand on the chest and bow slightly as a respectful gesture of greeting. I urge people to be careful. “
Senator Lim Pay Hen had previously asked about the government’s plans, including the appointment of medical officers, to tackle the pandemic, as scientists had predicted it would continue for two more years.
“We will continue to monitor this pandemic as we are not yet fully aware of the disease,” said Noor Azmi.
“The weapons we currently have to combat the disease are the mask, hand sanitizer and physical distancing.”
However, he said Malaysia had proven to be among the countries capable of managing and controlling the disease well to the point of gaining global recognition.
He said the government will redouble its efforts to combat the pandemic.
In the Covid-19 swab test, he said that so far, it had only been done on people with symptoms or who were at high risk, adding that the government had no plans to provide the service for free. However, the test will be provided periodically to school teachers.
“The government has developed standard operating procedures for various subsectors, including education, so adherence to standard operating procedures is important to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in schools,” he said in response to a question from Senator Robert. Lau Hui Yew.
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