GEORGE TOWN – A Penang state executive councillor has urged the National Security Council (NSC) to enforce targeted movement restrictions on specific localities following speculation that another full lockdown will be imposed by Putrajaya on badly affected states, including Penang.
A full movement control order (MCO) would see a return of tight measures, including restrictions in travel and gatherings, together with stringent enforcement of standard operating procedures (SOPs), being imposed in the states.
State International Trade, Domestic Trade, Consumer Affairs and Entrepreneur Development Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain said that implementing lockdowns on specific areas would be more effective.
He said it would also prevent economic activities being crippled across the state.
“If one area is already seeing strong measures against Covid-19, it should not be dragged in with another area which has been complacent and is having a rising number of cases,” he said.
“I think the factories in the Bayan Lepas, Batu Maung and Teluk Kumbar areas have turned the corner in the fight against the virus,” he said to The Vibes. “But we need to constantly be vigilant despite an ongoing vaccination campaign.”
Penang recorded 133 new infections and two deaths yesterday, hitting a total of 16,069 cases and 28 deaths since the pandemic began.
Yesterday morning, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba had revealed that the ministry had submitted a proposal for the MCO to be imposed in states with a high number of Covid-19 cases to curb the spread of the disease.
He had said that the proposal is for the MCO to be brought back in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor, Kedah and Sarawak.
Later, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the government will re-evaluate the MCO in states with a Covid-19 resurgence.
However, he stopped short of announcing another MCO, lockdown extensions, or other policy changes.
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The statement came less than two weeks before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which falls on May 13 and 14.
Halim said that health authorities must apply new technologies in the fight against the virus, such as artificial intelligence and drones to help keep cases under control.
He added that the latest wave could be attributed to a surge in cases at prisons, schools and crowded areas which failed to uphold SOPs.
Meanwhile, a few doctors, who preferred not to be named, said health authorities must explain why there is a need for an MCO in Penang, Johor and Kedah when the infectivity rate is lower than the national average.
They also want metrics, such as the coping capacity of healthcare in each state and the impact on essential services, to be considered when imposing a lockdown.
Lawyer S. Raveentharan said that it is time for health authorities to show leadership in the face of surging cases where they need to be more transparent and introduce performance-driven measures to fight the virus.
“Covid-19 has been with us for over one year and by the looks of it may be here much longer. We need to find ways to fight it on a consistent basis instead of just ad hoc measures which harm the economy and our health,” he said. – The Vibes, May 2, 2021
