KUALA LUMPUR – Every time he receives a message from Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba on the latest Covid-19 numbers, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob cannot help but feel nervous, especially when there is a spike in infections and deaths.
The defence minister, who provides daily updates on security matters related to the pandemic, takes the job of flattening the coronavirus curve seriously.
“It has been a nerve-racking experience for me. Just imagine, 3,000 cases, 4,000 cases, 5,000 cases. Of course, I was the one scared the most, because it involves my job, which is to flatten the curve.
“Similarly, when death is involved. It is something that cannot be accepted by anyone, even though everyone will die someday, but death caused by Covid-19 is worse (because) we cannot pay our last respects or kiss the deceased and so on,” he said in an interview on the ministry’s achievements here recently.
On the standard operating procedure changes from the first movement control order (MCO) last year and the current one, he said the government has to strike a balance between containing Covid-19 and ensuring the rakyat’s survival.
He said Malaysia had no data or experience on the virus when it imposed the first MCO, nor could it use other countries as a reference to deal with the outbreak.
“Now, we are flexible, because if we are too rigid, our economy will get worse and our people will not be able to survive.
“The people’s economy is a priority for the government, because we want to make sure food is on the table. We do not want people to die of Covid-19, but we also do not want our people to die of starvation.
“Now, after a year, we have complete scientific data, as well as experience.” – Bernama, March 3, 2021
