Malaysia is moving to reopen its economy starting 4 May after Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s Labour Day announcement today (1 May). This has stirred public concern on potential new waves of the Covid-19 outbreak as there are still new cases being recorded every day.
Even though most businesses are allowed to resume operations, strict Standard Operating Procedures have been set in place for them to follow. Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) released detailed SOPs for each sector to follow in order to ensure that social distancing and precautionary measures are set in place.
However, if these SOPs are violated, the authorities will take action, health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said in his press conference today (1 May).
“We make sure that every sector will have to comply with the SOP. We sat down with every sector and we advised them in terms of the SOP. The SOP is very clear,” he said.
“Most important is to comply with the SOP. If they do not comply with the SOP, then we will close the locality or the premise.”
Dr Noor Hisham added that if there is an outbreak or a case detected in the locality or the premise, they will continue to take public health action.
“EMCO (enhanced movement control order) will come in and we’ll lock down the area, we’ll screen everyone,” he said.
“Those identified as positive will be taken to the hospital, and those negative will be quarantined, for example. This is the action plan that we have in place. Nonetheless, public gathering is still prohibited.”
I know many of you are worried about what will happen once the economy reopens on 4 May. Nevertheless, let’s hope that all sectors will follow the SOP guidelines strictly.
Also read: Here’s a List of Activities That Are NOT Allowed By The SOP For The Reopening of The Economy
