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Malaysians: MCO necessary for our sake

KUALA LUMPUR: They may not like it, but the people understand why the Movement Control Order (MCO) has been enforced in all states except Sarawak.

In Perak, the people believed the MCO was unavoidable to bring down the soaring Covid-19 figures. However, they hope the authorities would give leeway to more businesses to operate.

Mohd Hafizee Arop, 35, said the MCO was necessary because the overall daily infections rate had yet to drop.

Hafizee, who runs a window tinting business, has accepted that his income will be affected.

“I know that this decision (the reimplementation of the MCO) will have a massive impact on my income. However, I need to accept it as this is the best decision for the sake of everyone.

“This will affect my business for several months. The first round of the MCO led to my business being closed for almost two months.

“I hope this time around, the government will allow us to continue operating,” said Hafizee, who has a shop in Silibin and in Station 18 here.

E-hailing driver Tarmizi Yusof, 34, acknowledged that there was no other way to contain the pandemic but by reimposing the MCO.

“During last year’s MCO, it was hard for me to earn even RM10 per hour. I hardly got any passengers and my income dropped by over 50 per cent.

“However, I know that this is the best decision to make to prevent Covid-19 from spreading further,” he said.

In Pahang, just as life was about to return to normal, the state suffered major floods and the monsoon season. And now, the people here have to face another MCO.

P. Ramamoorthy, 60, from Temerloh, said that while the lockdown was anticipated, he did not expect it to happen so soon, especially when most of the people in the flood-hit areas have yet to settle down after the natural disaster.

“The floods caused massive damage. People are slowly recovering from the natural disaster. Even in some districts, the floodwaters have yet to recede. Temporary relief centres are still operating.

“There has been an increase in daily cases in some districts, which is worrying. There is not much choice but to stop people from travelling and to ensure that they follow the standard operating procedures (SOP).”

Father-of-three Shahrinahar Latib, 35, said he had anticipated the government’s move to implement another round of the MCO due to the increase in cases over the past few days.

“These are trying times, especially for people in areas that are only beginning to recover from the floods. Some are looking to start a new career after the New Year. Let’s hope this MCO will achieve its aim and reduce the number of cases.

“It’s no use blaming anyone for the MCO. Everyone should instead come together to battle the pandemic. If Pahang displays a drop in cases, then the MCO will not be extended beyond Feb 4… We’ll have to wait and see,” he said.

Salmah Zulkefli, 45, from Beserah, expected an increase in people in town and shops over the next two days preparing for the MCO.

“I hope there will be no panic-buying. The state government has plans to reduce the people’s burden. Some of them lost their jobs during the first MCO last year and have yet to find a replacement. For low-income earners, this MCO is going to be tough.”

In Terengganu, the people in general have embraced the MCO as they know it is unavoidable.

“The unseen enemy (Covid-19) is difficult to overcome. I have a daughter who is in her fourth day of quarantine in Kuala Lumpur. I am aware of the threat posed by the pandemic,” said Ramlah Draman, 54, a labourer from Kampung Merbau Menyusup in Setiu.

Ramlah’s daughter Nurul Janas, 33, who is residing in Bukit Permai, Cheras, is undergoing home quarantine.

“The MCO is necessary for the sake of the people. I believe the government’s decision to break the chain of infection is timely.”

Contractor Zainal Beram, 49, of Batu Rakit, said: “I have seven children, and three of them are schooling. It is going to be tough to make ends meet.

“But the decision (to implement the MCO) is to break the (Covid-19 infection) chain. Even if it affects our livelihood, our lives are more important. We need to survive this pandemic so that we can continue supporting our families.”

In Kedah and Perlis, the reimplementation of the MCO in the states has generated mixed responses from residents.

Although some are disheartened at the thought of having to live through yet another round of the MCO, others believe that it is a good measure to break the chain of infection.

Ahmad Nabil Rosedi, 24 from Perlis has high hopes that this round of the MCO will flatten the Covid-19 transmission curve.

“It is good that the government has imposed the MCO again but I am disappointed that some people are not taking the SOP seriously. I hope that with this MCO, people will start adhering to the SOP again,” he said.

Rasyidan Ahmad, a 26-year-old businessman from Kulim, Kedah, said the reinstatement of the MCO was timely as many people were flouting the SOP openly.

“We see eateries filled with customers practising very little physical distancing. We have gone through the MCO last year, we obeyed the SOP, and we saw the results. We can do it again this time, inshaAllah (God willing).”

Nurul Ashratulaina Ali, 26, from Kulim, said Covid-19 fatigue might be the reason behind people flouting the SOP.

“We shouldn’t be pointing fingers at people as staying at home had affected everyone, especially students,” she said.

Anis Sofia Che Jafri, 24, believed this MCO won’t be effective as industrial activities were running as usual.

“Kulim is known for its industrial activities. Most industries will operate as usual, since they cannot afford to halt operations.

“For this MCO to work, the government needs to come up with stricter SOP, such as shutting down everything, like what they did in March last year,” she said. –Additional reporting by Rosli Zakaria and Farah Solhi

Source: NST