Everyone must play part in reducing COVID-19 cases in Malaysia - Saifuddin

PUTRAJAYA, March 21 -- Every Malaysian must play his role in helping to curb the spread of COVID-19 to free the country from the virus, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

He said although the majority of Malaysians abided by the Movement Control Order (MCO) which was imposed on March 18, there was about 10 per cent of the population which contravened it.

“We see videos which have been viraled of children playing outside and people exercising outdoors during the Movement Control Order period,” he said at a media conference with Bernama and RTM today.

“The 10 per cent of people who are not complying are about three million Malaysians, this may be a small number but in the context of COVID-19, even 300 is a big number, and something we must tackle, because each person has a role to play to reduce the number of cases,” he said.

Saifuddin said the country was currently in a situation it had never gone through before and the government must handle the COVID-19 outbreak with great care and discipline.

“We are used to disasters like fires, landslides, the tsunami and floods, but COVID-19 is more than anything we have experienced before.

“In a war, we know where our enemies are or in chemical warfare, we may be able to stop the chemical  from affecting an area, but we are now facing a virus which is alive for a certain period of time, that is why the experts are saying we have to take extra-ordinary precautions,” he said.

As such, he said, it was critical that every person abide by the government’s order to stay indoors during the MCO period which is until March 31.

“I understand that Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) has bought new films to be screened and I want to thank the private broadcast stations which have come up with offers such as free views during this period,” he said.

Saifuddin also thanked the telecommunications companies for allowing free calls to hospitals and health centres, while some provide free additional internet data to consumers.

“The most important thing is we help the authorities, especially the Health Ministry, by staying at home, washing our hands, not just for prayers and meals, but also before touching our bodies, especially the face, and distancing ourselves from others by about a metre,” he said.

“These are basic things and I am confident that Malaysians can do it,” he said.

-- BERNAMA