Tourism Minister: MOH Should be Cautious When Providing Info on Covid to Not Cause Public Panic

It appears that Covid-19 is back again and causing a spike in cases in several areas in Malaysia. However, fortunately, it was recently reported that the number of Covid-19 cases is expected to drop next month.

Recently, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing stated that the Health Ministry (MoH) should exercise caution when providing information on Covid-19 to avoid triggering unnecessary fear among the public.

According to him, any hasty action can affect stakeholders and be exploited by opportunistic individuals, thus affecting the country’s economy.

“I am making this appeal based on the concerns and complaints expressed by the tourism industry and the public. We need to take a realistic approach, considering the difference between the current situation and the situation that happened before the epidemic started to spread.”

“We need to see how other countries are handling the outbreak and note the cautious approach they are taking,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, Tiong said while he supports the measures taken by the MOH to raise awareness of Covid-19 and intensify preventive efforts, it should not create an atmosphere of panic among the people.

“There is no denying that Covid-19 is an essential public health issue that cannot be swept under the carpet. However, we should not act excessively to cause the situation to worsen. We must avoid creating fear and giving a negative perception of Malaysia, especially the tourism sector, which could affect the national economy,” he explained.

Additionally, Tiong said he had been informed that some foreign tour operators had cancelled itineraries to Malaysia due to growing concerns about Covid-19.

“But in fact, many places worldwide have been affected by the latest wave of this pandemic with a corresponding surge in cases. Therefore, there is no need to overreact and mislead the public that the epidemic in Malaysia is rather serious.”

What do you think of his statement? Let us know in the comments.

Also read: Health Minister: Number of Covid-19 Cases Expected to Drop Next Month