KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — The decision to place Malaysia again under a Movement Control Order (MCO) starting May 12 until June 7 has been deemed the right move to curb the growing spread of COVID-19 in the country.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore Dr Lo Ying-Ru Jacqueline said the measure was important as the capacity of hospital utilisation had reached a critical level with the increase in daily cases.
She said Malaysians have no choice but to limit contact among the public by adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOP) to curb the spread of COVID-19 at this time.
“We are crossing the red line when the hospital ward and intensive care unit filling up. When more healthcare workers are getting infected, there is a risk that the healthcare system will collapse,” she said when contacted via a phone call during Bernama TV’s Mid-day Update programme today.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the enforcement of a blanket MCO from May 12 to June 7 after chairing the Special National Security Council (MKN) Meeting on Management of COVID-19 in Putrajaya, Monday.
Dr Lo said the people should support the move as the measure was also taken by many countries to curb the pandemic.
While understanding the frustrations and concerns of the people especially to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, she stressed that it needs to be done to continue the isolation of contacts.
“It is very difficult for the government to announce the drastic measure, but clearly WHO recommended that the community be part of the government’s measures, the government will not be able to do it itself.
“It should also be kept in mind that the pandemic situation can change very quickly, and the society needs to continue to listen to every healthcare authority’s directive,” she said.
She added that the government should also continue engaging every sector involved, especially the economic sector so that they will continue to implement safety measures in their businesses.
