.jpg "People observe social distancing during rush hour at the Ampang Park LRT station in Kuala Lumpur April 28, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Firdaus Latif")
KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has reminded Malaysians that despite Putrajaya’s decision to relax the movement control order (MCO), it is up to the public to safeguard their own safety.
In his daily Covid-19 press conference, the defence minister cited Taiwan as an example of a nation with the lowest death and infection rate, but without having to impose or implement any form of movement control or quarantine lockdown.
“I take a small country — Taiwan, as an example. They never implemented any MCO, there’s no lockdown. But they have the lowest cases of death in the world (six) and their infection rate is among the lowest in the world.
“They don’t have any lockdowns or MCO but their people’s discipline was the factor that ensured they were safe from Covid-19 infections. They wore face-masks, maintained social distancing and they washed their hands.
“Even without any lockdowns they are one of the countries that managed Covid-19 very well because of their population’s discipline in protecting their interests and personal safety,” said Ismail Sabri.
He reminded the public that medical experts expect Covid-19 to be around for the next two years, with no vaccine for the dreaded disease in sight.
Tomorrow marks the first time Putrajaya will be implementing a conditional movement control order (CMCO).
However, currently, nearly half the states in the country have refused to heed Putrajaya’s call and opted to maintain phase four of the MCO.
These states that have placed public safety and security above economic concerns are Sabah, Sarawak, Kedah, Penang, Negri Sembilan and Pahang.
