It’s been a week since a new Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) was implemented in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Sabah, although it was shrouded with confusion amongst the public, as exact restrictions for the ruling were never really specified, and they also kept changing.
As it stands, residents in these states are not allowed to travel between districts unless it’s for work, only two people are allowed to travel per vehicle, and only individual recreational activities such as walking and jogging can go on.
At the same time, they’re still allowed to go out - malls, restaurants and gyms are allowed to operate, which begs the question, “Is there really any controlled movement during this CMCO?”
While Malaysians need to take the initiative to continue to follow COVID-19 SOPs, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah believes there needs to be stricter restrictions, similar to that of the Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed in March.
He said that just as before, sports, school, social activities, and anything that has nothing to do with the country’s economy should be put on hold during the CMCO, so we can truly flatten the curve.
Dr Noor Hisham also stressed that Malaysia previously successfully lowered the number of new COVID-19 cases with strict restrictions when the MCO was first carried out.
“We've done it before and it's not impossible to do it again, provided the public stay at home if there's nothing important to be done outside.
“Just staying home and following the SOP if we have to go out is a very important step in helping to break the COVID-19 infection chain,” he said.
It’s our responsibility to help curb the spread of the virus, so let’s stay home as much as we can, regardless if the government finally decides to tighten restrictions.
We’re all in this together!
by Kyle Roshen Jacob
