MCO to last 4 weeks at most
The first MCO we had back in March last year lasted for around 7 weeks. It was a period of uncertainty as Malaysians had to wait for the PM’s address every two weeks to find out if the MCO will be extended.
This time round, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has come forward to confirm that MCO may be extended past the initial 26th January period if the daily figures are still alarming, but it will last 4 weeks at most.
Prolonged MCO may lead to severe economic impact
In a press conference at Putrajaya yesterday, Dr Noor Hisham said that the shorter forecasted MCO duration is to avoid the consequence of a severe economic impact.
According to a report by Free Malaysia Today, the Health DG also surmised that the coming next two weeks are imperative in breaking the chain of infection if Malaysians stayed home at all times.
Should the number of new COVID-19 cases stabilise after four weeks, a CMCO will then be enforced in place of the MCO.
Curve can be flattened by May
Dr Noor Hisham hopes that the cases can be brought down to less than 500 a day by the end of the targeted MCO period. If his projections follow through, the curve should be flattened by May or June.
Daily new cases have been hitting record high lately. In fact, 3,309 positive COVID-19 cases – our highest thus far – were recorded two days ago on 12th January.
Image credit: KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN MALAYSIA
Yesterday, the daily figures stood at 2,985 confirmed cases, with Selangor still making up the bulk of the numbers with 837 new cases, followed by Johor at 535 new cases.
Healthcare system at breaking point
Though the MCO isn’t an ideal choice for most Malaysians, it is necessary to ensure that our healthcare system isn’t over-capacitated. With the increasing number of daily cases, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had cautioned that they are already at their breaking point.
So let’s be more responsible and considerate to our frontliners by avoiding going out for leisure even after the MCO is lifted. It is only through a collective effort that we can recover from this as a nation.
More COVID-19 updates below:
- State of emergency declared by Agong in Malaysia
- Netizen deplores MAEPS quarantine centre
- Mutated, more-transmissible COVID-19 strain found in Malaysia
Cover image adapted from: KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN MALAYSIA and KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN MALAYSIA
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