KOTA BARU: The Kelantan government believes that the callous attitude of its people will see the state continue to record an average of 600 new Covid-19 cases a day in the coming weeks.
State Government, Health and Housing Committee chairman Dr Izani Husin said the irresponsible attitude among locals and their refusal to follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in place are to blame.
"Many Kelantanese continue to flout the SOP and refuse to listen to advice and warnings given by the authorities. If this situation remains uncontrollable and the infectivity rate or R-naught (Rt) is still high, we do not rule out the possibility of new cases reaching between 600 and 700 a day," he told reporters at his office today.
Dr Izani said the only way to prevent this is to have all quarters, especially the public, play their part in helping the state health department break the chain of infection.
"Heads of departments and village heads must also assist the authorities by educating the people on the importance of following the SOP," he said.
Dr Izani also believed that there are several 'anti-vaxxer' groups which are actively trying to persuade the public against getting inoculated.
"These groups include students and religious people. They are using propaganda to sway public opinion. Their aim is to prevent the people from getting vaccinated under the National Immunisation Programme (NIP)," he said.