On different Covid-19 battlefield, DG wants public to play their part in obeying SOPs

CORONAVIRUS | Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has appealed to the public to play their part in ending the Covid-19 outbreak by abiding by the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for every sector.

Stressing that the government had already played its part in handling the outbreak, he said it was now time for the rakyat to “practice social discipline and social responsibility" to ensure the disease was under control.

“We at the ministry urge the public to come together with us and make sure they comply.

“Social compliance is very important, social responsibility is very important to make sure we can actually break the transmission of Covid-19,” he said in his daily briefing today. 

Starting on Monday (May 4), selected economic sectors will be allowed to reopen subject to strict guidelines from the government.

Eateries, for example, will be allowed to seat customers limited to four people per table.

Tables must be at least two metres apart, and patrons must produce personal identification information plus agree to have their temperature taken. Vendors must supply sanitisers and handwashing facilities.

SOPs for outdoor activities like jogging and cycling have also been announced.

Schools remain closed while public gatherings of all kinds remain banned.

Sarawak and Kedah have said they will not be implementing the conditional MCO on Monday, while Selangor aims to slow down implementation.

MCO goal achieved

Pressed about concerns that Malaysia was easing movement control order (MCO) restrictions too soon, the top official reiterated that the objective of the exercise had already been achieved - which was to flatten the curve of infections.

The infectivity of the disease, measured by its basic reproductive number (R₀), had plunged from a pre-MCO figure of 3.55 to 0.7 now. 

“The MCO is not there to end the transmission of the virus, that is not the intention at all.

“We are still in an ongoing war with Covid-19 but perhaps on a different battlefield. So on a different battlefield, we need to have new strategies.

“The strategy that we have (now) is we empower both sides. The ministry and government, we can do our part.

“But there are two things that we want the community and the individual (to do). Which is to empower themselves to look into their social discipline and social responsibility,” he explained.

Using dengue as an example, Noor Hisham said the community had learned to live with the disease by taking necessary actions when needed.

“Covid-19 will be part of our community now. The only way to protect ourselves is basically to follow the ministry’s SOP and make sure we comply,” he added.

After seven weeks of the MCO, he pointed to a need to strike a balance between the need to protect people from the virus and the need for people to earn a living. 

However, he urged people to slowly ease out of the MCO.

'It is not necessary that this Monday, everybody needs to rush to the office or everyone needs to be on the street. No.

"The message is very clear. For those other sectors like education and social sectors, please stay at home," he said.

On concerns that reopening businesses could lead to a resurgence of cases as experienced in other countries, Noor Hisham said things would be different here.

Namely, he said unlike other countries, Malaysia was not relaxing border control despite easing up on MCO rules.

All homecoming citizens are presently screened and quarantined for 14 days at designated facilities before they are allowed to return to their homes.