KUALA LUMPUR – A possible extension to the movement control order (MCO) will be discussed by the National Security Council (NSC) at its special meeting tomorrow.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will be chairing the meeting and the council will hear the Health Ministry’s report prior to making any decision.
According to The Star, Senior Security Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that balance was required in determining whether more sectors should be closed owing to the high number of daily Covid-19 cases.
“We do not want our rakyat to die from Covid-19 but at the same time we also do not want them to die of starvation.
“I went to a roadside stall to buy food recently and the operator told me that their income had decreased by as much as 50% because they can only offer take-out,” he said after visiting roadblocks at Sentul and Gombak.
“Some of them depleted their savings completely during the last MCO which lasted three months.
“Can you imagine how they will survive if we implement the same MCO now?" he asked.
Hence, Ismail said this was why it was important to strike a balance between safeguarding lives as well as economic interests.
He said some small and micro-business operators relied on their daily income to put food on the table for their families.
Ismail Sabri said standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Chinese New Year celebrations were also being drawn up by the NSC, Health Ministry and National Unity Ministry.
The SOPs, he added will be announced one week before the festivities or two to three days prior. – The Vibes, February 1, 2021
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