Why people are flouting interstate travel ban, risking their lives

 

Police ordered 13,177 vehicles to turn back in the three days leading up to Hari Raya Haji. Even if there were only two people in each vehicle, we would get 26,354 people trying to cross interstate borders.

I assume these people had been stopped along the highways and major roads. I’m sure others would have crossed interstate borders using smaller roads – such as kampung and estate roads. I had seen video clips of people doing just that in their vehicles before Hari Raya Puasa.

I wonder how many people gave police the slip and crossed borders. How many lied their way through? How many used kampung and estate roads? The most important questions are: how many of them are Covid-19 spreaders and how many of them will bring back the disease when they return home?

Police said more than 1.14 million vehicles were checked in the three days and that the highest number turned back – 4,839 – was on Friday. Most of them did not have supporting documents or permits for interstate or interdistrict travel.

On Saturday, inspector-general of police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said policemen manning roadblocks had been told not to accept letters from the international trade and industry ministry (Miti) as valid travel permits for crossing state borders until Wednesday. This, he said, was to stop people from abusing the privilege accorded by the Miti letters for making interstate journeys for the Hari Raya Haji celebration.

Deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob even reminded people celebrating Hari Raya Haji that there had been a serious hike in Covid-19 cases, with 36 clusters, when people flouted the ban on interstate travel during Hari Raya Puasa in May. “There probably are also those who use their ‘expertise’ to evade the police by travelling through plantation roads and so on, but you can’t deceive Covid-19,” Ismail added.

It appears that neither his warning nor that of the IGP made any impression on those flouting the travel ban and putting themselves, their families and even strangers at risk of catching the killer disease.

I sympathise with the cry of anguish from Terengganu health director Dr Nor Azimi Yunus who, alarmed by news reports about a large number of vehicles heading to the East Coast states, asked on July 18: “Have you not learned by the events that occurred during the last (Hari Raya) Aidilfitri season?”

Her social media posting was aptly titled “Kenapa Begini Sikap Kalian” (Why do you have such an attitude?)

Why indeed? Why would so many people risk getting infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and possibly end up in the intensive care unit of a hospital, or worse, die?

Why would so many risk getting fined if they are caught, despite being told by Ismail and Acryl Sani that stern action would be taken?

Are they stupid? No, I don’t think so. Are they ignorant? No, all the warnings from the health authorities and the police would have reached their ears – given the fact that most Malaysians own smartphones or watch TV or listen to the radio – even if they were lacking a little in grey matter.

Or did they think that these warnings would not be acted upon? Perhaps so. It’s interesting that although police ordered 4,839 vehicles to turn back on Friday, 3,672 vehicles on Saturday and 4,666 on Sunday, they only issued 408 compounds on Friday, 423 on Saturday and 492 on Sunday.

People who stay home as much as possible and obey all the rules laid out by the authorities are becoming angry over the actions of those who flout the rules and put everyone in danger. They are also angry with the authorities for punishing only some and not all of them, as in the case of many of those who tried to cross interstate boundaries over the past three days.

But then again, how many times do we expect the police to warn us? Sometimes we complain when they don’t take action and sometimes we complain when they actually take action. I’m sure policemen are tired too.

How many of us are cooperating with the police? Take, for instance, what happened in Penang yesterday morning. About 200 or so Muslims, mainly foreign nationals, held Hari Raya Haji prayers outside a mosque in Juru, causing Penang police chief Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain to later apologise to Penangites for failing to prevent such a gathering.

I think there are two main reasons why people are willing to risk getting Covid-19.

One, Malaysians have become or are becoming desensitised to the danger of the disease and even the fear of Covid-19 related news. The sad and scary fact is that the rising Covid-19 deaths and frightening news about the disease are no longer causing fear or sufficient fear in everyone.

A few people I know who showed intense alarm last year following the spike in cases after the Sabah state election, no longer exhibit the same intensity of fear or caution. They are willing to take more risks today than they were about a year or so ago, despite the fact that the Delta variant of the virus is said to be even more deadly.

Certainly not everyone thinks that way, for I know of many others who are taking extra precautions after hearing of the devastation caused by the Delta variant. But a growing number of people are becoming jaded, desensitised to it.

This desensitisation follows upon Covid-19 fatigue. People are simply tired after going through one MCO after another, baffled by confusing rules, a far from standard SOP and with no solution in sight from March 2020 to now.

The other reason why a good number of Malaysians are flouting the interstate travel ban and other movement restriction rules is the way the government has been handling the pandemic.

All you have to do is read the many messages shared on social media and the videos made by Malaysians to know the deep frustration and anger they have towards the government. Over and over again, they mention the double-standards employed by the government or government agencies involved in the implementation of the SOP and Emergency rules. Over and over they talk about the confusing messages and rules.

It is very clear that most of those on social media – and I believe others who are not brave enough to put such thoughts out there for the authorities to see – are fed up and feel the government has failed in fighting the pandemic and in managing the nation.

When that happens, it means trust in the government is gone. When trust is gone, people are willing to take more risks and flout the rules. And that is what we are seeing. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.