Many things to consider before Phase 2 of recovery plan, says PM

 

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin sharing a joke with a group of Orang Asli who came to get their vaccine shots at the Pagoh Multipurpose Hall vaccination centre (PPV) today. (Bernama pic)

TANGKAK: The government will have to study various factors including the actual Covid-19 situation in the country and intervention methods being implemented before deciding whether to move into phase two of the national recovery plan, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said although the government had set certain targets like dates and periods, number of cases, vaccination milestones, and usage of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, the actual situation frequently changes.

“It (national recovery plan) has what we call threshold values … but we have to understand that the situation changes and that is why we may make slight adjustments.

“This will be decided at the National Security Council meeting which I chair,” he told reporters after visiting the vaccination centre at Dewan Muafakat Johor Bukit Gambir in Bukit Gambir here today.

Muhyiddin said the government always monitors the latest developments through the health ministry and all available systems to determine the intervention methods that can be implemented.

“For example, the number of cases is still a bit high and we want to bring it below 4,000 cases. Today there are 4,743 cases, so not far off the target. We need to see the intervention by the health ministry and all existing systems (to bring the situation under control).

“But that alone is not enough; the whole community including factories need to play their part by adhering to the standard operating procedure” he added.

Muhyiddin, who is Gambir state assemblyman, stressed the importance of ramping up the vaccination process to get a better control of the situation and reduce the number of positive cases faster.

“We have a few more days to go (before the lockdown ends on June 28). So, if the rate (of infection) can drop further it means we are on schedule and will move to phase two.

“Because of this, we won’t make an announcement now. Normally, only two or three days before the deadline, we will decide whether to extend or move on (to the next phase),” he said.

Muhyiddin said this when asked whether the government would move to phase two of the movement control order 3.0 as phase one is scheduled to end on June 28.

Earlier, health minister Dr Adham Baba said the country could move into phase two of the national recovery plan if the daily average number of Covid-19 cases drops below 4,000 for seven consecutive days.

He said ICU bed utilisation rate should also be below 75% and 10% of the population should be vaccinated for this phase to happen. - FMT