KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Muslim Doctors Organisation (Perdim) has urged the government to continue deploying enforcement and security personnel to ensure public compliance with guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOP) throughout the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) period.
Perdim president Datuk Dr Ahmad Shukri Ismail said this was necessary as some had become complacent and were ignoring the SOP set by the government to contain the spread of the virus.
Apart from ensuring SOP compliance, Dr Shukri said the move would also help to achieve the government's zero-cases target by the middle of next month.
"Based on my personal observation, many quarters, especially those in the retail sector, have become lackadaisical when the government started relaxing several restrictions following the implementation of the RMCO.
"This attitude must not be taken lightly. Enforcement agencies under various ministries must work together with local authorities to help the Health Ministry ensure the people adhere to all guidelines and SOP introduced by the government to contain the outbreak," he told the New Straits Times.
He was responding to Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah's projection on the Covid-19 situation in the country.
![Datuk Dr Ahmad Shukri Ismail](https://assets.nst.com.my/images/articles/26nt03docun_1593144918.jpg)
On Wednesday, Dr Noor Hisham had said the country could achieve its target of zero daily new cases by the middle of next month if the public followed the guidelines and SOP, such as social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and wearing face masks if necessary.
He had also said the country did not record a spike in cases after two weeks into the RMCO.
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr N. Ganabaskaran said the continuous drop in the number of daily cases did not mean it was safe for people to ignore the SOP and return to the "old norm".
"We have seen that people are starting to let their guard down when they go out to dine at restaurants and go shopping.
"Many now have courage to go out without wearing face masks. Some don't even observe social distancing. This can increase the risk of infection.
"Having said that, restaurants and store owners also have a responsibility to maintain compliance with the SOP," he said, adding that the authorities should look into tighter enforcement in all sectors.
He, however, expressed confidence that Malaysia could meet its target provided the people maintained full compliance with the SOP.
He also said it was imperative for the Health Ministry to closely monitor active Covid-19 clusters.
"Efficient contact tracing efforts and screening of contacts of these clusters will be key to containing any further spread.
"We do believe the ministries concerned have this well under control. Screening of migrant workers is equally important as they have been identified as a risk group," he said.