KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia has not failed in managing the Covid-19 pandemic, said Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, in addressing allegations that the government’s efforts have thus far been insufficient in controlling the pandemic.
The senior minister said although there are those who claim the government has failed following a spike in cases and daily infections breaching the 5,000-mark, this is far from the truth.
"We have succeeded once but we have not failed yet. Based on research done by Lowy Institute, a think tank based in Sydney, Australia, regarding Malaysia’s effectiveness in managing Covid-19, Malaysia is ranked 16th out of 98 countries,” he told a press conference today.
He said Malaysia was ranked higher than several nations in Asia, including Japan and South Korea, with a score of 71%.
He also denied that the government did not have a strategic plan to combat the pandemic, as claimed by some parties.
Ismail Sabri said the Health Ministry and National Security Council (NSC) had also outlined 15 strategic plans that he announced on Tuesday.
This includes five strategies under the Strategic Plan through the ministry, including breaking the transmission chain, reducing morbidity and deaths, strengthening diagnostics and surveillance, achieving herd immunity and increasing awareness of the culture of new norms.
Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said creative industry players need to prepare proposed standard operating procedures (SOP) to enable filming of advertisements, dramas and films to resume.
"We understand that, those who work behind the scenes, the freelancers, are the most affected. There are suggestions to allow this sector to resume operations, we can consider it if the SOP is agreed on by the Health Ministry.” – Bernama, February 4, 2021
