KUALA LUMPUR: At this crucial period of battling Covid-19, clear and concise instructions regarding SOPs for the Conditional MCO must be provided, said MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon.
"A lack of clear directives will only cause widespread confusion and limit the effectiveness of preventative measures, causing unnecessary strain on frontliners.
"On Oct 12, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the state of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya will be placed under CMCO starting from Oct 14.
"A few days later, on Oct 17, it was announced that gymnasiums, commercial football fields and futsal courts, and commercial badminton halls are allowed to resume operations.
"This can be very confusing to the people. They will think, why must basic level employees work from home, but sports centres can open? Does that mean infection rates at sports centres are lower?
"Furthermore, the latest announcement by the Ministry of International Trade and Industries (MITI) indicates that basic level employees will go to work as usual, while managerial and supervisory level employees are to work from home."
He said some "odd" guidelines have been put in place such as a three-day work week, with working hours limited from 10am to 2pm or just four hours. These, he added, coupled with the distinction of red zones and non-red zones only added to the people's confusion.
"The virus does not differentiate between basic levels and managerial positions, or pick a certain time of the day to infect people.
"While people are trying their best to adapt to new norms, it is imperative for the government to be stringent and meticulous in the drafting of new guidelines."