KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has no plan to extend the Movement Control Order (MCO) to minimise further impact on the country's economy.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there was a need to strike a balance between life and livelihood, although the general outcome of a full lockdown which took place during the first phase of MCO last year was good.
"During the (first) MCO last year, the government lost RM2.4 billion per day, it had an impact on our economy.
"The results were good, but are we overdoing it?
"For this MCO 2.0, we expect it to last at least four weeks. We do not want to prolong it, because we must balance both life and livelihood," he said during a special online press briefing on Covid-19, today.
Dr Noor Hisham pointed out that a MCO would not be necessary if the public had strictly followed the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the authorities.
"However, the rate of non-compliance was high. What we must do is be responsible and disciplined by avoiding the 3Cs, and practice the 3Ws," he said, referring to 3Cs as avoiding crowded places, confined spaces and close (proximity) conversation.
The 3Ws are washing hands frequently with soap and water, wearing face masks, and warn by practising caution.
He said daily Covid-19 cases would drop to two digits by May if the number of infections managed to stabilise, with the Conditional MCO (CMCO) implemented for at least three months after the MCO.
He said the CMCO implemented last year was not a failure, adding that if it had, over 4 million people in the country would have been infected with the virus.
Currently, all states except Sarawak are placed under the MCO until Feb 4.