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JOHOR BARU: The public has greeted with joy the government’s decision to allow them to travel beyond 10km for food and daily essentials, as well as being able to do outdoor exercises as part of the conditional movement control order (MCO) starting today.
Retired principal Esther Gan, 65, said that she was excited to finally be able to take a walk in the park near her house again.
“I like to start my day with a walk around the park but I was unable to do so during the MCO.
“I found other ways to keep active at home but I did miss my walks at the park,” she said, adding that she would continue taking precautionary steps including practicing social distancing and avoiding crowds.
She urged other senior citizens to not take the freedom given by the conditional MCO for granted and continue staying at home, or ensure that they wore face masks and maintained social distancing when out.
“I hope the public, especially senior citizens will not take the MCO lightly.
“Despite the freedom given during the conditional MCO, we must remember that the disease is still out there,” she said, adding that the public must get used to the “new norm”.
Accountant Alia Maisara Othman, 26, said that with the 10km restriction being lifted, she could now have more choices to shop for groceries.
“With the 10km ruling, I have limited options as there are only two shops near my house for me to buy groceries,” she said, adding that she could also now go out to get medication for her 67-year-old mother easily.
Meanwhile, cook Lee Wee Ping, 37 said the relaxing of MCO also provided him with more options to shop for supplies.
“My wife and I have started selling home-cooked dishes with delivery to support ourselves since the second week of the MCO as I have to take unpaid leave from the restaurant I am working at.
“The 10km ruling makes it difficult for us to shop as there are limited options around the area where we live,” he said.
I added that the government’s decision to allow two people from a household to run errands for essential items had also made their lives easier.
“We normally have to buy a lot of things when we do our grocery run as we need to make sure we have enough ingredients to prepare the meals for our customers,” he said.
Tutor R. Gayathri, 32 said that the relaxation of the MCO during its fourth phase was a good move but the public should not take the Covid-19 crisis less seriously.
“I am a little worried that people will now take the pandemic less seriously and I hope everyone remember that we still have not won the battle,” she said, adding that the public must continue practicing self-discipline.
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