Keeping Malaysia safe

 

-NSTP file pic, for illustration purpose only.

In a few days, we will celebrate the festival of lights or Deepavali. In view of Covid-19 risks, however, celebrations need to be tempered with care as per the official guidelines.

Only those fully vaccinated will be allowed to go to temples, visit cemeteries and do home visits. Additionally, there may be no dining at restaurants or parades, either.

Again, we have to take the long view and err on the side of caution despite indications that Covid-19 is on the wane.

Deepavali will certainly not be the only festival to be under watch in this pandemic era. Yes, cases have gone down to less than 6,000 in the last few days due to the more than 95 per cent of the Malaysian adult population being fully vaccinated.

And with further relaxation of movement restrictions, the reopening of the economy has allowed businesses to resume and other sectors to open up.

Malaysians, therefore, are hopeful of a better atmosphere for celebrations in the coming months, when rules pertaining to festivities are either reduced or withdrawn altogether.

It's very likely, though, that there will still be tight restrictions on household gatherings throughout December, affecting those celebrating Christmas and the New Year.

Moving forward, events and festivals will be strongly dependent on how the Covid-19 pandemic continues to evolve. It will hinge on our ability or capacity to follow new health and safety regulations.

The Sabah election last year, for instance, precipitated a vicious spike in infections. It takes only one person to launch a new cluster in a big way. The Sivagangga cluster started because of a person's failure to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOP) after flying home from India, which led to infections in Kedah, Perlis and Penang.

That is why, SOP adherence — the wearing of face masks, practising good hygiene and physical distancing — must be kept up.

The one number everybody must know is that the pandemic has taken nearly five million lives the world over.

Those who have recovered will surely appreciate why all of us need to follow the rules to prevent new infections and be Covid-19 free.

At this time of writing, since the pandemic began, the United States registered 46.7 million cases, followed by India (34.3 million), Brazil (21.8 million), the United Kingdom (nine million) and Russia (8.5 million), while Malaysia's cases neared 2.5 million.

It will take a while yet before we can be more confident about the total lifting of restrictions during festivities. Expect the same precaution to be continued for Chinese New Year and Hari Raya in the months to come.

On a more positive note, the latest reports about the dip in Covid-19's trajectory should be celebrated, but quietly for now. This is no small feat. It is made more meaningful by the support of all Malaysians who has kept the faith in overcoming the pandemic, truly a "Keluarga Malaysia" moment of tolerance and unity.

And this, coming just in time for Deepavali, a signal that we may be on our final lap in the battle against Covid-19, which has enveloped us over much of last year and this year. Certainly, light and hope springs eternal at the end of a long tunnel. - NST