KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — Contrasting scenarios currently faced by Malaysia and Singapore in the battle to contain the Covid-19 infection rate is proof that the decision to implement the movement control order (MCO) was a wise move by the government, said Datuk Tan Teik Cheng.
The MCA vice-president lauded Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's decision to implement the MCO, which he said has been key to allowing the local healthcare system to handle and contain the Covid-19 outbreak.
Tan, in pointing out Singapore's decision to extend its circuit breaker until June 1 following a spike in infections, said this is evidence that the early measures taken by the government are now starting to yield results.
He suggested that the situation locally could have been much worse if the MCO had not been implemented.
“The announcement by the Singaporean government to extend its circuit breaker to June 1, 2020 proves that the Malaysian government's resolute decision to implement the movement control order was a correct measure to take.
“Assuming that the government did not announce the implementation and extension of the MCO, I believe that the pandemic's situation in Malaysia would have been difficult to control, and certainly would not have effectively reduced the coronavirus' rate of spreading.
“Most likely, without the MCO, the rate of infection would not have decreased,” he said in a statement today.
Tan said the recent decline in the local infection rate showed that the government's efforts to flatten the exponential curve are achieving the intended results, success which he attributed to both the government's accurate and timely measures, and cooperation from the rakyat.
This comes following Singapore's announcement of a month-long extension to the island nation's circuit breaker, a similar exercise as the MCO, with only essential services allowed to operate.
The circuit breaker was initially announced to last from April 7 to May 4, before Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the extension until June 1 yesterday, after the country recorded a spike of more than 3,000 cases in a 72-hour period.
Singapore now has a total of 9,125 confirmed cases as of yesterday evening, with 11 deaths so far.
