KUALA LUMPUR – The government has no plans to drop the requirement to wear face masks in public places anytime soon and will instead enforce it as part of the new normal moving forward, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
This comes amid the emergence of the new, more transmissible Omicron variant in the country, which threatens to derail the government’s efforts in battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, Deputy Health Minister II Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the majority of people surveyed by the ministry in October also agreed that the new normal standard operating procedures (SOPs) should be maintained.
This includes the wearing of face masks and the practice and enforcement of social distancing in public areas.
“These two methods should be practised as a new norm by all individuals. As such, even if Malaysia moves to the endemic stage, this practice must be continued.
“Additionally, with the emergence of the Omicron variant, we found that countries like the United Kingdom have also once again informed their people on the increased usage of face masks and physical distancing.”
Aaron was responding to a question from Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi (Lahad Datu-Bersatu) on when the Health Ministry plans to loosen existing SOPs mandating the use of face masks and social distancing in public spaces.
According to Aaron, studies have shown that the use of face masks is effective in reducing the risk of Covid-19 infection.
Malaysia first mandated and enforced the use of face masks on August 1, 2020, when Covid-19 infections reached a worrying high following the virus’ arrival in the country earlier that year.
Aaron said the mandate was specifically meant to curb the virus’ spread, but added it must go hand-in-hand with other SOPs such as frequent handwashing and maintaining safe distancing. – The Vibes, December 14, 2021
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