Lockdown isn’t working - DAP gives Ismail Sabri alternative suggestions

 

DAP has urged the government to immediately lift restrictions for the social sector and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), saying that months of lockdown had proved to be ineffective in reducing Covid-19 cases.

National publicity secretary Tony Pua said in a statement today that a delegation from the party had submitted a policy position paper to Ismail Sabri Yaacob yesterday and held a discussion with the deputy prime minister over their suggestions to the government.

The delegation led by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng included Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim, and Pua himself.

During the meeting, Lim stressed several policies presented in the paper to Ismail Sabri, including the immediate reopening of low-risk social sector and SMEs with reasonable standard operating procedures (SOPs) conditions.

This is because the lockdown that has been going on for months “proved to have failed”, and was inefficient in driving down the Covid-19 cases, they said.

“Hence, DAP has suggested (to the government) to relax the restrictions immediately where all social sectors and SMEs be allowed to operate again with suitable and reasonable SOPs.

“For employers with higher risks, they can operate with stricter SOPs, including the requirement for their employees to be vaccinated and tested on a schedule,” the lawmakers said.

DAP also urged the government to stop using the terms “essential” and “non-essential” to classify working sectors, and instead adopt a controlling mechanism by basing it according to the risk of the employers and workplaces.

Despite the increase in Covid-19 testing rate during the past two weeks, the party still holds the opinion that the country is still under-testing its population.

It cited the 10 percent positivity rate for Covid-19 testing in the country, saying that is twice the amount recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and called for more targeted testing to be done.

Malaysia recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in a single day yesterday, at 17,405, with 143 deaths recorded.  - Mkini