While the number of daily cases have been on a downtrend lately, the government has yet to decide on whether to extend or lift the MCO.

But if we want the the MCO to be lifted, there are certain criteria that we must first fulfil.

Important criteria to consider

Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told the New Straits Times that there are a total of six criteria that the country must first fulfil before the government can truly lift the MCO.

He said that this six criteria must be observed by every ministry and department to ensure a “soft landing” for any exit strategy.

According to Dr Noor Hisham, the six criteria are:

#1 Border control

This, said Dr Noor Hisham, is one of the most important criteria. If the country wants to avoid recurring cases, the government has to ensure that there's a stricter border control. He added that the ministry would find the best methods to screen or detect those who enter the country after the MCO is lifted.

“If we open our borders then people will start coming in and there’s a big possibility they may have the virus,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the Health Ministry found 95 positive COVID-19 cases out of the thousand of returning Malaysians.

#2 Movement control

Even if the MCO is lifted, Dr Noor Hisham said that it is important that Malaysians continue to observe social distancing, avoid large gathering and practice good hygiene.

“As for movement control, apart from maintaining distance, perhaps those who are not related to the economic sector could remain at home,” he was quoted as saying.

#3 A more efficient healthcare system

Although Malaysia boasts one of the best healthcare systems in the world and our frontliners are doing a great job so far at detecting COVID-19 cases, Dr Noor Hisham said that the country must still improve on lab capability and testing standards.

“From the capability of the labs for testing to whether we have enough wards and intensive care units, all of these have to be looked at closely.

“Then we must also be able to raise the detection standards from say 48 hours to 24 hours or less,” he was quoted as saying.

#4 Steps to protect high-risk groups

The elderly, the disabled and those with co-morbidity illnesses are the group of people who are most susceptible to the virus, so the government has to ensure that they have the capability to protect high-risk groups, Dr Noor Hisham said.

#5 Adhering to new norms

Dr Noor Hisham said that in order to truly eradicate the virus, Malaysians must be able to adapt to the 'new normal'. The government must then instil in Malaysians' minds that practicing good hygiene, following social distancing and avoiding large crowds is the only way forward.

"The public must practice the new normal, which is to ensure social distancing, always washing their hands, and avoiding gatherings," he was quoted as saying.

#6 Working together with the relevant authorities

The final step -- and probably the most crucial one, Dr Noor Hisham said -- is to ensure that authorities and communities at high risk areas work closely with the Health Ministry to implement preventive measures.

“Finally and the most important criteria we must look at before considering lifting the MCO is to identify the areas that are infected by Covid-19 and get their communities to work with MOH and the relevant authorities to make sure the virus doesn’t spread again,” Dr Noor Hisham said.

On top of these six criteria, Dr Noor Hisham also said that the Health Ministry would also look at the number of active cases before deciding whether to lift the MCO or not.

The magic number they are looking at are single-digit cases, he said.

“Before we consider lifting the MCO, we need to look at the number of active cases. We hope we can reduce this.

“If we can contain this, it will be a factor in our decision,” he further said.