Social distancing needed 6 months post-MCO: PM's public health advisor

CORONAVIRUS | Malaysians must practice social distancing for at least six months after the movement control order (MCO) period to ensure the Covid-19 pandemic is completely eradicated, said special advisor to the prime minister on public health Dr Jemilah Mahmood.

She raised this during a Facebook Live discussion moderated by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin this afternoon.

Khairy asked if things would return to normal as before the MCO was imposed or whether there would be a new normal.

Jemilah said it is important for Malaysians to practice social distancing for between six to nine months post-MCO as there is still a risk of contracting Covid-19 during that time.

"We have always feared that a pandemic would take place, we knew it was coming, it was not a matter of if but when. The preparation of society is important.

"This pandemic shook our entire behaviour and cultural system.

"As Malaysians, we like to salam (handshake greeting) and visit friends. After the MCO is over, we cannot go back to the way things were.

"We need to do physical distancing for at least six to nine months (post-MCO). We need to lessen the habit of going out as we need time for the virus to disappear," she added.

Jemilah was confident that Malaysians would weather both the MCO and post-MCO era.

She also urged Malaysians to reflect on the need for sustainability of the environment as disruption of the natural ecosystem can cause the emergence of new diseases.

"We need to think about what we could do to contribute to the issue of sustainability, we need to protect the environment.

"Any disruption to the environment can cause the emergence of new (previously undiscovered) virus and disease," she added.

Jemilah also said despite the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on Malaysia, it provided an avenue for all to think of safeguarding the needs of others rather than being individualistic.

"We have two choices - either we become more polarised and nationalistic and isolate ourselves or we become more compassionate, connected and have more solidarity.

"The second one is more important and this is the time for us to rethink as a nation on the good of the whole society and not be an individualistic society," she added.

Echoing a similar sentiment, second panellist University Malaya psychiatry expert Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin said Malaysians in the post-MCO era need to prepare for the possibility of not only practicing social distancing for another six months but perhaps even for a year.

He said the government needs to prepare Malaysians for such a possibility going forward, as even now when the compliance with MCO is high, there is still a small number of people who contravened the order.

He said Malaysians can emulate the example of Taiwan, where due to its previous experience with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003, the nation promptly practiced social distancing when there was a hint of the Covid-19 pandemic among its population. - Mkini