Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today defended Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) that kept changing and which caused confusion among Malaysians over the past week.
He said the government needed to constantly adapt the SOPs to the latest developments of the Covid-19 situation in the country.
"Many asked why the SOPs last week were different from today. This is because, like Covid-19 cases, the situation is so dynamic today. We, too, have to prepare the SOPs based on the current situation.
"The situation three months ago was different from today so definitely the SOPs must be adapted according to the current situation," he told a press conference at Putrajaya today.
Ismail also announced that the National Security Council (NSC) decided today to standardise all SOPs for the latest nationwide movement control order.
"In his statement yesterday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the SOPs. The details of the SOPs were discussed at a technical meeting of the NSC today.
"Prior to this, people were confused due to the (SOPs for the) conditional MCO and recovery MCO so we have decided to standardise all the SOPs for the whole country," he said.
These SOPs will be released by the respective ministries and the NSC, he added.
Meanwhile, Ismail said all relevant ministries were instructed to activate their respective hotlines so that the public could seek clarification on the SOPs.
Poor communication between government ministries and agencies have caused public outrage after the most recent MCO was implemented on May 6 for six districts in Selangor and May 7 for Kuala Lumpur and parts of Johor, Terengganu, and Perak.
While the government banned interstate and interdistrict travel in MCO areas, individuals are allowed to cross borders to work, provided they have the relevant documents.
The public and businesses were also confused following the release of the Hotspots Identification for Dynamic Engagement (Hide) list on May 8, in which 150 premises, mainly supermarket and shopping centres, were ordered to close for three days.
Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin initially said premises under the Hide list could continue operating as they are not Covid-19 clusters.
Additionally, the federal government leaving it to the state and local governments to decide on the details of the MCO SOPs have caused more public confusion.
Right after Putrajaya announced yesterday that the entire country will be placed under an MCO from May 12 to June 7, lawmakers questioned if kindergartens were allowed to operate.
DAP Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching questioned why the Education Ministry barred kindergartens from operating when Muhyiddin stated that kindergartens, childcare centres, and nurseries can operate under the latest MCO.
Today's press conference saw Ismail sharing the stage with Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah for the first time since the first nationwide MCO was implemented in March last year.
Both of them have been Putrajaya's spokespersons on issues related to MCOs and the Covid-19 situation in the country.
Meanwhile, Ismail said the government is implementing a more flexible MCO this time, compared to the strict lockdown in March 2020, known as MCO 1.0, which saw the country losing RM2.4 billion daily.
"Many were angered when the government did not impose MCO 1.0 in the six districts in Selangor... of course we cannot please everyone.
"We need to balance from the aspect of health and livelihood. Many lost their jobs as businesses could not be sustained during MCO 1.0.
"Yes, MCO 1.0 would be more efficient in flattening the Covid-19 curve but that doesn't mean MCO 3.0 cannot achieve this. MCO 2.0 was successful in doing so (reducing Covid-19 cases)," Ismail said. - Mkini
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