NST Leader: Going all out

 

- NSTP/ FARIZ ISWADI ISMAIL

It has finally been decided. Come Tuesday, we will be going back to a Movement Control Order (MCO) like the first one in March last year. In other words, we will be on an almost total lockdown, with more or less only essential services staying open.

Yesterday saw us jump past the 9,000-case mark as far as new infections are concerned. In truth, though, the number of new infections has been on an upward trend for a long time now, and health experts have been calling for a return to MCO 1.0 measures for weeks.

This Leader, therefore, lauds the decision of the government. But before this stricter MCO is implemented, several issues must be ironed out.

First, the government must remain fully committed to achieving our target, which has to be the reduction of cases to the point of recovery like MCO 1.0. There should be no half-hearted measures, or we will never achieve these targets. At the same time, the people should be just as committed.

Many complain the measures put into place by the authorities do not seem to be working, yet these same people do not even follow these measures. This leads to the next point, which is that there should be full commitment in ensuring that action is taken against those who violate standard operating procedures (SOP).

There should be no favouritism. Whether royalty or pauper, government official or civilian, celebrity or regular man on the street, action must be taken against any person found to have breached the SOP. Otherwise, hashtags like #KitaJagaKita are of no use.

Third, we need to resolve vaccination issues. Problems like the ones during registration for the AstraZeneca opt-in programme should not have happened. Something also needs to be done about absenteeism.

As was discussed in this Leader yesterday, there are transportation issues, and solutions could be in the form of providing transportation, having mobile vaccination centres or even community vaccination centres. But, if we have to resort to meting out fines, so be it.

More needs to be done to ensure more sign up for immunisation. As long as we cannot get the numbers required for herd immunity, we will never be free of Covid-19.

Another step is to make remote learning a long-term thing. It does not have to be for the entire year. Declare that schools will be closed for a month, or maybe even two.

What this will do is not only protect our children but also allow teachers to prepare lessons accordingly. Going completely online is not an ideal learning environment.

But at present, it is the safest, and having schedules prepared ahead of time will allow greater optimisation of the hand that we have been dealt.

Finally, the government must look at how other countries are doing. We must look at both success stories and failures, and learn from both. We must see what is suitable to be applied here and adapt to it accordingly.

Each country is unique, but that does not mean we cannot adapt overseas' methods to suit us. Truthfully, though, what is most needed is cooperation from all. We must unite against the common enemy: Covid-19. - NST