These days, if you go out in the public, you'll probably notice that the government-mandated social distancing rules, once practiced strictly in Malaysia, are slowly being ignored.
So much so that our PM had to hold a special press conference to remind Malaysians to behave:
If you think that you can continue ignoring the rules, well, this piece of news would change your mind.
Some Malaysians are still being stubborn
Experts have recently issue a warning, saying that if Malaysians continue to be complacent, the coronavirus will hit the country again and this time, it will be far more severe and explosive.Infectious diseases consultant Datuk Dr Christopher Lee told the New Straits Times that such complacency is evident by the number of Malaysians still not wearing face masks in public.
"It's quite obvious that the number of people wearing face masks has dropped. We can assume there's less distancing and hand hygiene being practised as well," he was quoted as saying.
Dr Lee, a member of the Selangor Task Force for COVID-19, said with good SOP compliance, the inevitable surge in cases caused by the reopening of economic sectors will be smaller and easier to control.
“However, if there is indeed a cluster, the risk of it spreading faster is now higher as there's more people movement and interaction. The next wave can be more explosive. The surge in Hong Kong, Seoul, Leicester and Melbourne, for example, can happen here as well,” he cautioned.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Public Health Physicians' Association president Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar told the daily that the emergence of new cases in Malaysia, now in the double digits, was alarming and, if not properly handled, might lead to a more serious second wave.
"The Health Ministry and authorities shouldn't stress too much on the numbers as it fluctuates. The community may get the impression that it's nothing to worry about as the figures are still low," he was quoted as saying.
So, please heed the words of these healthcare experts and follow the SOPs, OK?