LETTERS:The continuous four-digit daily infection figures for more than one month left Malaysia with no option other than country-wide lockdown effective from May 12 with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announcing a third Movement Control Order (MCO 3.0) till June 7.
What is a worry is more Malaysians would find it difficult to make ends meet. Public Investment Bank Bhd (PIVB) estimated MCO 3.0 in the whole country would cost Malaysia RM300 million daily.
Therefore, there is an increasing concern that hard-hit sectors such as tourism, retail, hospitality and food & beverage (F&B) sectors might have to shutter their business operations forever due to the reintroduction of the country-wide lockdown.
According to Foodpanda Malaysia's Head of Logistics, Shubham Saran, there had been a decrease in the number of food delivery riders around the Klang Valley over the past few weeks, especially during the fasting month of Ramadan.
The heavy downpour and thunderstorms right after working hours have made food deliveries extremely challenging too. Customers had to wait at least one hour for their food to arrive at their doorsteps, discouraging others from placing food orders online.
As they are merely relying on self pick-up orders, some restaurants are pessimistic they will lose approximately 80 to 90 per cent of revenue during the MCO 3.0, which is worse than the first two MCOs.
Therefore, for Malaysia to overcome the Covid-19 third wave, EMIR Research has several policy recommendations for the current administration to look into:
1. Learn from New Zealand – using data and science to determine current SOPs. For instance, the New Zealand government introduced a four-tier response system in March last year by applying limitations on mass gatherings, encouraging increased physical distancing, closing all schools and non-essential workplaces, prohibiting social gathering and imposing severe travel restrictions;
2. Work with experts outside the Ministry of Health (MOH) for a real whole-of-society effort. The experts could apply machine learning and artificial intelligence tools, assisting the Malaysian government in identifying Covid-19 hotspots under the recently introduced HIDE system;
3. Impose stricter restrictions on the number of workers allowed in both factories and construction sites. By limiting the number of workers, factory owners and contractors could comply with SOPs whereby the minimum physical distancing of at least one to two meters apart could be applied;
4. Follow the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommendation by fully employing digitised find, test, trace, isolation and support (FTTIS), reducing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. This would minimise economic disruption and balance the wellbeing of both lives and livelihoods; and
5. Reduce the number of SOP violations without fear or favour which will result in the people complying and assisting the government in fighting the health crisis together – reducing the burdens of frontliners in dealing with increasing numbers of Covid-19 patients.
When a decisive approach in dealing with the Covid-19 third wave in the country is taken, Malaysia could flatten the pandemic curve once again, moving towards economic recovery as per the pre-pandemic level.
AMANDA YEO
Research Analyst
EMIR Research
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times