IF there is one thing we can learn from this Covid-19 pandemic, it is that most Malaysians cannot be left to their own devices. We will point the blame at everyone else except ourselves.
Sure, many will blame the Sabah elections in September last year as the cause of our over 6,000-strong daily Covid-19 cases today. Maybe it is the “spineless” enactment of the second movement control order (MCO) that has done nothing to curb the infection rate but acted as a final blow that killed off already vulnerable small- and medium-scale businesses across the country.
Some will also say the close to five-month state of emergency has succeeded with flying colours in skyrocketing Covid-19 cases.
But I say, let’s take our eyes off the higher-ups and look at how we have contributed to the spike of cases instead.
We are currently victims of a psychological term called habituation, where we become so out of tune with the alert calls on Covid-19 after more than a year of repeated presentations.
The problem is, the spread of the virus is more likely to happen behind closed doors. Are people aware that the general SOPs are still to be adhered to within the confines of the office, and with colleagues we are buddy-buddy with?
After a day at the office, we might decide against eating out and head to our elderly parent’s home because home-cooked is best, am I right? Again, SOPs are thrown out the window.
Why?
Because we somehow have conjured a belief in our heads that familiarity is a prerequisite to being a non-Covid-19 virus carrier.
In truth, we all know how Covid-19 spreads and how a person can be an asymptomatic carrier of the virus. We know it is in the community, and we know where the majority of cases are reported.
We also know what time to tune in to the news portals and social media, impatiently waiting for the new daily number of cases to unfold, before we gasp in disbelief and start sharing with our friends and family members, telling them to “stay at home”.
But who are we kidding?
If the government is not implementing harsher restrictions for the fear of economic collapse, we are also to blame for taking advantage of its lapse of judgement as our cause for freedom.
We all have a part to play in this fight against the pandemic. A delayed visit to our elderly parents, fewer trips to get household items and denying a visit from a friend to your home – it all plays a part in nipping the spread at the bud.
If you are managing a company, be creative in managing your subordinates in a way that does not require them to clock into the office – you’ve done it during MCO 1.0, why not MCO 3.0?
Think about ways to ensure there is social distancing within the office space if people are still required to come to work. Educate your employees and vice versa because habituation is difficult to overcome until a loved one succumbs to the virus.
By then, the realisation will be too late to bring the dead back to life.
It is high time we own up to the numbers, because the government is only as good as its people, backdoor or not. – The Vibes, May 23, 2021
Rachel Yeoh is a journalist at The Vibes
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