Let people exercise outside if EMCO prolongs, docs urge govt

 

A doctor says public parks should be kept open so families and children can spend some time outdoors, under strict SOPs.

PETALING JAYA: Two doctors have urged Putrajaya to allow Selangor folk to jog or exercise outside should the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) in 34 sub-districts be further extended.

Currently, people under the EMCO in Selangor are not allowed to leave their homes to exercise, although they can go out to purchase food and groceries or to work if they are employed in essential sectors.

Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye and Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Association Malaysia president Dr Steven Chow said jogging in open areas with ample physical distancing posed a very low risk of infection.

Chow said public parks should be kept open so families and children could spend some time outdoors, with the relevant SOPs practised.

He also told FMT that being confined at home “unrelentingly” had been linked to “cabin fever” and other mental health issues, which could impact children’s growth.

“In fact, the psychological impact of this on the development of children will be something that requires study in the future.

“How many times must the rakyat go through this again? Where is the data that shows people get infected when they go for a jog?

“Sensible precautions, social distancing, masking up and keeping strictly within members of the same household are simple must-do things for all in these times,” he said.

Lee said it was silly for the government to make such minor changes to SOPs in the first place when the EMCO was announced, adding that it had been 18 months of living with the pandemic.

He also told FMT the SOPs should have already been fixed by Putrajaya based on the intensity of the lockdown, while being consistent with science.

“Hence, jogging should only be forbidden when the most intense lockdown is implemented, namely a total standstill where everyone stays home, like the first MCO in March last year,” he said.

The government banned all sports and recreational activities during MCO 3.0 in early May, before doubling back and allowing jogging, cycling and other exercises with a 1.5m distance maintained.

The EMCO in 34 sub-districts in Selangor began on July 3 and is slated to end on July 16, but looks set to be extended with Covid-19 cases remaining high. - FMT