KAMPAR: Adhering to the Health Ministry’s guidelines and maintaning personal hygiene have made Kampar the only district in Perak to be free from Covid-19 infections.
Located 40km from Kinta, the people here take the outbreak seriously even though there are no reported cases in the area.
Checks by the New Straits Times showed that 99 per cent of the people here wore face masks in public places and follow the 1m social distancing rule when queueing to enter shops.
Fishmonger M. Yuwarajan, 42, from Taman Bandar Baru here, said the people need to show solidarity by being responsible for the safety of all during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Since the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO), the people here have been wearing face masks when they go to the market to buy food items. They also practise the 1m social distancing rule.
“I have never seen such a large number of people wearing face masks when buying essential items.
“The people here adhere to instructions and are concerned about their health,” he said at a wet market here.
For the Orang Asli community in Kampung Pos Dipang, even though the mobile phone coverage is weak, their efforts to keep updated on the Covid-19 crisis should be emulated by others.
Village chief Bahsermu Bahudin, 56, said there were more than 1,000 Orang Asli in the village and several programmes had been conducted to ensure that they were updated on the crisis.
“It was a bit challenging to explain to them at first because most of them thought Covid-19 was just a normal flu.
“However, clearer explanations helped them to understand the situation better. Now most of them do not leave their homes.
“The weak mobile coverage is not a deterrent. I ensure that the people here adhere to the authorities’ instructions.
“We have been telling them to wash their hands frequently and stay at home.
“We are glad to have good television signal here. Those who do not own a TV at home can get information from me or the village committee,” he said, adding that police and health officers in the district had been educating the people on the pandemic and ways to stay safe.
Bahsermu said the community here had erected a signboard at the entrance of the village to warn outsiders against entering the area.
“We used to receive many outsiders, including tourists and sellers, but now we have put up
a signboard so that the people here are protected from the virus.
“My priority is my people here. This is the biggest Orang Asli community in the district and we want to protect everyone during this critical time.”
District Council enforcement assistant Muhammad Syarafi Mohd Said said the compliance rate of the people here during the MCO was almost perfect.
“They listen to us and they follow our instructions.
“In Kampar, the people take the crisis seriously although the district is free from Covid-19.
“This is one of the reasons why the district is a ‘green zone’.
“The people here wear face masks when they leave their homes and practise social distancing,” he said, adding that the people need to work together to protect the district.
Up to yesterday, Perak recorded 205 Covid-19 cases.
Kinta recorded the highest number of cases at 82 followed by Hilir Perak (61), Manjung, Larut Matang and Selama (15 each), Kerian (13), Perak Tengah (seven), and Batang Padang, Muallim and Kuala Kangsar (three each).