KUALA LUMPUR: Based on the current climate of Covid-19 in Malaysia, the Health Ministry annnounced that the wearing of face masks in enclosed spaces is now optional.
However the wearing of face masks remains mandatory in public transportation such as buses, airplanes or when having symptoms and at health facilities and care centres. It is also mandatory for those who have tested positive for Covid-19 and are required to go to Covid-19 Assessment Centres (CAC) to undergo health evaluation.
Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that premises owners can impose the wearing of face masks on those seeking to enter and spend time in their establishments to curb the spread of the virus.
"It's the owners' right to deny customers who flout their conditions. Some premises owners might feel that they are exposed and the risk is high if masks are not worn," he said at a press conference today.
Despite the lifting of the restriction, he said the people were advised to keep their masks on as it stops the spread of Covid-19.
He said it was crucial for those who are in the high-risk category especially the elderly and the immunocompromised as well as those who are exposed to them and people who are symptomatic to continue wearing the mask.
Khairy offered the same advice for those visiting crowded spaces such as shopping malls.
He said the outdoor masking rule that was lifted on May 1 remained unchanged.
"However the relaxations do not mean that the virus and its spread can be taken lightly. If cases rise and become severe again, the government will reimpose the mandate."
Khairy said that 19 per cent of the 371 intensive care unit (ICU) beds were occupied by those with Covid-19 and suspected patients. Those on ventilators made up 11 per cent of the number. Only four per cent of the 530 beds at low risk Covid-19 quarantine and treatment facilities (PKRC) were in use.
When the ruling was lifted on May 1, mask-wearing was decided to be still compulsory in public indoor environments, with the government warning that fines would be imposed for non-compliance.
On Aug 31, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said that the mandate for mask-wearing in enclosed spaces should be reviewed as the number of cases in the country had reached a 'plateau of sorts' and hospitalisation rate was manageable.
Its president Dr Koh Kar Chai said this was because the public had been living with Covid-19 for a long time now and was becoming familiar with the infection.
Mask wearing had been made compulsory in public indoor and outdoor areas in the country since Aug 2020.
The ruling was put in place during a time of relatively low infection and hospitalisation rate and was meant to cater to the gradual reopening of the economy which required the loosening of movement restrictions that hinged on strict adherence to the mandate.
People were however allowed to take it off at homes, when eating in public as well as exercising in outdoor parks and visiting recreational areas such as beaches or forests.
He said the decision to make the wearing of masks optional was based on the fact that Malaysia had been through several months of the transition to endemicity phase and the virus was under control. Khairy also mentioned the availability of antivirals which further boosted the decision.
He however urged caution as experts do not know whether the virus would mutate to become milder or more dangerous to public health.
"When we want to transition, but this is very much dependent on mutation hence research on the variant and their effects have to be continued.
"We can consider going into the endemic phase completely if we find that the new variants do not cause severe Covid-19 in the upcoming months but we still do not know how the virus is behaving," he said.