And boy, the government is desperate right now.
Warning rise in cases again
Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the government is mulling the possibility of making wearing of face masks compulsory.This comes as no surprise as Malaysia's COVID-19 cases hit double digits again and the discovery of several new clusters.
"Details will be announced soon," Muhiyddin said during a live special address on 20 July.
"Although, the cases are low in Malaysian but I'm concerned about the 13 new clusters since the beginning of RMCO.
He also said that he was concerned that the number of COVID-19 cases has reached double digits again.
"This shouldn’t be taken lightly by all of us. I’m sure you do not want the government to impose a lockdown if there is a spike,” he added.
The Prime Minister spent most of the press conference explaining the economic impact of another lockdown, and dishing out advices to the public.
He reminded Malaysians to continue practicing social distancing, wearing masks and remember that we're living in the "new normal".
Concerns over mandatory mask wearing
While many are in support of making the wearing of masks compulsory, some netizens have expressed concerns over the burden it will place on the poor.1. Don’t make policy from twitter or telegram polls.
— Colin Charles (@bytebot) July 21, 2020
2. Give each household 4 reusable/washable masks at least. Singapore did. Malaysia May need more. Household are larger.
3. Then mandate mask wearing outside. If the fine is RM1,000 make sure it is enforced. @DGHisham https://t.co/4Mp73o7aVh
You wanna make masks compulsory, sure. But please please try and find a way to distribute some free face masks to the urban poor. Though the rates are not as exorbitant as they were before, masks are still expensive for some. Therefore still a luxury despite being a necessity.
— Kanyakumari Damodaran (@DKanyakumariCNA) July 20, 2020
Takda masalah andai Harga Mask dikawan dan dikurangkan sedikit lagi. Kalau 1 mask guna sampai 2 hari pun tak guna. 1 hari 1 mask. 1 rumah 7 orang. 7x 30 hari dah 210 × rm1.50 habis rm315.
— Jalan Hitam (@arbeeZONE) July 20, 2020
Will be very interesting to see how govt implement mandatory masks. The 1st round of free mask exercise failed so there is a gap in the delivery system. As well as gap in the accessibility & awareness for many. I think it’s a good idea. But will be challenging.
— Yoong (@yoongkhean) July 20, 2020
Let's hope the government will come up with a scheme to help the poor cope with the cost of wearing a mask everyday if it indeed becomes mandatory.
Boleh.... Tapi government must ask supplier to flush the stock into market to reduce the price as before Covid-19. You all rasa org yg pendapatan rendah dpt beli dgn harga 1 sehari? I don’t think so
— Wan Ahmad (@ihi_ps) July 20, 2020
What do you guys think? Should the government make wearing face masks compulsory?
