We are almost a month into the transition to the endemic phase and the government is currently considering whether to retain or discontinue the 3 key measures in the SOP to prevent Covid-19.
The 3 key measures include wearing of face masks, scanning of the MySejahtera application when entering premises and Covid-19 detection tests.
This was revealed by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri in a remark to media members on Saturday (23 April).
According to the report by Bernama, Ismail said the 3 implementations are currently going through assessment by the Ministry of Health (KKM) according to the Prime Minister.
“We will announce later good news, when we relax (the SOP), surely the people will be happy. Perhaps we will look at it in terms of (face) masks, so the MoH will look at the pros and cons regarding the matter.”
“As for MySejahtera, whether or not to scan at any premises, while at airports, whether there is a need to undergo PCR or RTK Antigen tests upon return KKM is discussing these matters.” he said.
Ismail Sabri also said the government would also consider people’s concerns on whether the SOP is loosened too much.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that further relaxation of the SOP was expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Is Malaysia ready to unmask?
Some people believe that it should no longer be mandatory to wear a face mask because most positive cases are only in Categories 1 and 2.
However, health experts remained skeptical about this move. Speaking to Malay Mail, Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia president Dr Raj Kumar Maharajah said it was good to take the safer route forward as Covid-19 remained unpredictable and was still a global pandemic.
“It is very risky if we are going to go mask free because the virus is still mutating and we are still getting (different) variants of Covid-19. We don’t know which variant is going to be fatal and cause a lot of deaths,” he said.
Dr Raj then suggested that the government should maintain the mandatory masks and social distancing rules to keep Malaysians safe.
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