KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is pleading with fellow Malaysians to observe the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) and movement control order (MCO) amid the recent surge in cases, coupled with the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities.
Speaking in a Facebook live video today, the Langkawi MP said that he was informed by certain members of the authorities that the virus spread has hit critical levels in the country.
“There’s this one case – one person who managed to infect 2,000 people. All because one person cannot control himself or herself properly, now 2,000 people have been infected, of which more than 20 have passed away.
“This is what happens when we don’t follow our own SOPs. I believe that, even though this (MCO lockdown) is not liked by everyone, self-control is very important to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. We must remember the first lockdown that took place for about one month.
“During that time, we could control this disease’s spread until we only hit double digits – below 100. But today, we have hit four digits. More than 4,000 a day have been infected with this virus,” said Dr Mahathir.
He added that things are getting worse, seeing that there are new variants with higher infectivity rates, and voiced his worry that the new variants cannot be controlled by the current stable of Covid-19 vaccines.
I apologise, I haven’t gone for (Friday) prayers because many people come close to me and ask about my health. I appreciate and thank them for caring but they come too close. The same with Ramadan bazaars – there are those who approached me asking for photographs.
He said if cases hit more than 5,000 new infections per day, it will overwhelm Malaysia’s healthcare system as it would not be able to cope with the influx of new patients or treat them all.
He warned that this could lead to situations seen in Brazil and India now, with hundreds of thousands are infected daily, leading to untreated patients who, in the end, are left for dead.
Dr Mahathir then advised the Muslim congregation performing Friday prayers to maintain their social distancing, not just during the prayer time but also before and after.
“I observed that, when people arrive at the mosques or when they are leaving, they don’t maintain their social distance. They crowd at the entrance. They should remain 1m apart, or better yet, more than that.
“I apologise, I haven’t gone for (Friday) prayers because many people come close to me and ask about my health. I appreciate and thank them for caring but they come too close. The same with Ramadan bazaars – there are those who approached me asking for photographs.
“When you have Ramadan bazaars, the number of patients skyrocketed from 2,000 to more than 4,000 now. This is because there’s no social distancing. I admit, it’s difficult when we bump into friends who approach us.
“But we must be disciplined and maintain our social distance, wear our masks to protect ourselves and others.”
He also pleaded with Malaysians celebrating Hari Raya to make sacrifices for the nation and its future by not holding any celebratory gatherings.
Dr Mahathir said Malaysia had already controlled the pandemic prior to the Sabah election triggered by members of the Perikatan Nasional and political “frogs”. – The Vibes, May 10, 2021
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