KUALA LUMPUR – The government had no choice but to implement the conditional movement control order (CMCO) in all but three states in the peninsula to avoid “firefighting” the Covid-19 pandemic, says Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Ismail Sabri said while the government acknowledges the grouses among the public and businesses over the month-long CMCO, the move was necessary to avoid cases ballooning further.
“Previously, our concept was to wait until an area becomes a Covid-19 red zone before implementing a lockdown. In the end, one by one areas started recording more cases.
“As such, we felt that if we continue waiting for an area to turn red first before imposing the CMCO, then it will certainly be too late,” he said in his daily press briefing today.
Ismail said following a risk assessment by the Health Ministry on the possibility of further infections in non-red zone areas, the government felt that it was best to implement stricter restrictions firsthand.
“We finally made a big decision, which is to contain before any infection takes place and to declare the CMCO even before an area turns in a red zone, not the other way around.
“This is a proactive and preemptive action taken by the government. We don’t want to be firefighting anymore, where we only step in when there are cases,” he said.
Sabri was responding to concerns raised by Malaysians over the government’s decision to implement the CMCO in all states, except for Perlis, Kelantan and Pahang from November 9 to December 6.
“We understand many are questioning our drastic action, but this is so that we can conduct early intervention and screening, to ensure the safety of all Malaysians,” he said.
Sabri said that should certain states or areas show improvement in the near future, the government may lift the CMCO in these locations earlier than scheduled.
He explained that the Health Ministry would be assessing the situation every week, and that the government would then be advised accordingly on the best next course of action. – The Vibes, November 11, 2020
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