Movement Control Order (MCO) extension
Movement Control Order (MCO) extension
Image adapted from: Reuters and @hujihann
Malaysians were sent into a wave of panic when the government announced the country’s first ever Movement Control Order (MCO) about a week ago. A few days after MCO commenced, rumours about an extension emerged due to the steadily increasing numbers of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths.
In a media conference today, 25th March 2020, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has announced that the Movement Control Order (MCO) will be extended for an additional 2 weeks until 14 April 2020 instead of 31st March 2020 as initially planned. And Malaysians seem to be supportive of the move.
Extension due to rising numbers in COVID-19 cases
In the conference, the PM said that the MCO extension is for the safety of all Malaysians due to the increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. This follows news of the UK and India announcing 3-week nationwide lockdowns due to the outbreak.
Image adapted from: The Star
The country has been seeing daily 3-figure increases in confirmed COVID-19 cases, with another 172 new cases and 2 additional deaths today. This brings up the total number of COVID-19 patients in the country to 1,796.
The PM also said that Malaysians should prepare to stay at home for a longer period of time as the MCO might be extended again if the situation calls for it.
Malaysians supportive of the extension
While it’s understandable that Malaysians would still be reeling in from the shock after the PM’s announcement, it seems that most are actually showing their support toward the move despite having to stay at home for an additional 2 weeks.
Since the media conference, social media has been flooded with supportive comments as well as a fair dose of hilarious memes – proving that Malaysians still have a funny bone in them even during hard times.
A Twitter user who goes by the handle of @hujihann posted a hilarious selfie with a caption that can be read as “I accept the decision made, but I’m just sitting here thinking about what else I can do at home. [crying emoji]”.
Image adapted from: @hujihann
Food seemed to be a major concern to many, but @saltygamora97 has found a “solution”. She shared a screenshot of her Google search after typing in “Cara tanam sayur dalam rumah” or “how to plant veggies at home”.
Image credit: @saltygamora97
Twitter user @nnad_sy posted a meme as a joke about how we’ll be trapped indoors for so long that even the simplest things may seem alien when we finally get to step out. The caption in the meme was changed to “Wah, anjing” or “Wah, a dog” while the animated character obliviously points to a butterfly.
Image credit: @nnad_sy
Jokes aside, Malaysians also took the time to thank the government and frontliners for all their efforts during this critical time.
Bee Koon Poh was one of the many who crafted out a sweet message that showed her support for the MCO extension and said that it was a sensible decision based on the current data. She also gave a shout out to our healthcare workers and urged Malaysians to do our part by staying at home.
Image adapted from: @pbkoon
Twitter user @irfansyahzz’s comment in Malay can be understood as “Like it or not, we still have to accept the government’s decision. This is the best solution to flatten the curve so that the virus will stop spreading.”
Image adapted from: @irfansyahzz
MCO extension until 14th April
From the responses on social media, it appears that most Malaysians are accepting of the government’s move to extend the MCO for an additional 2 weeks. After all, we’ve already survived the 1st week and even came up with some pretty creative ways to kill time.
When self-isolation does a number on you, just remember that we’re doing this to protect our future – one where we can freely leave the house and indulge in all our favourite activities without worrying over a virus.
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