Can more rules be relaxed? Wait for May 18, says MOH

CORONAVIRUS | The Health Ministry wants to see the outcome of the conditional movement control order (MCO) first before advising the government to allow more economic sectors to resume operations.

Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (photo), who is the Health Ministry director-general, said this when asked whether the ministry would consider a plea by the hairdressing industry to resume business.

"When we open the economic sector, we do it in stages. And now we are monitoring. If we can control the situation, then we will make the decision from time to time," he told reporters at a press conference in Putrajaya today.

According to Noor Hisham, they can only see the outcome from conditional MCO earliest by this May 18, which is 14 days since it was implemented and saw some movement control measures were relaxed by the government.

Among the rules that were relaxed include permission for the public to travel in a group of four in a car, while most economic sectors had been allowed to reopen. This was in exception to the services industry that requires close contact like massage parlours and barbers, among others.

The low number of cases that can be seen today, he added, was the result of actions that were taken during the third and fourth phases of MCO.

"We have seen the outcome of MCO. (But) the conditional MCO outcome will be seen on 18 May.

"If the number of cases after May 18 is still within our control, means we can open more (economic sectors). But, if cases continue to record increase, then we will have to reverse our action," Noor Hisham said. - Mkini