PUTRAJAYA: Amendments to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) are vital to curb the Covid-19 pandemic as the country transits to the endemic phase.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said efforts to manage the pandemic would be hampered if it was not approved in the current Parliament sitting.
"The next Parliament meeting will only be slated for another six months (from now). Pandemic control will be disrupted if it's not approved during this (parliamentary) meeting, or if there is a further delay to the approval of the amendments.
"The war (against Covid-19) is far from over and we are now in a transition phase to endemic. Furthermore, we are now challenged with the newly-discovered Covid-19 variant Omicron," he said in a press conference today.
Dr Noor Hisham said the amended act would also ensure the continuity of enforcement of provisions under the Emergency Ordinance (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) 2021 that has ceased and been annulled in Parliament.
He said the compound value under Section 25 of the act reverted to RM1,000 when the EO ended this year.
Dr Noor Hisham said the amendments took into consideration the current situation, including technology and enhancing enforcement actions to curb Covid-19 and other infectious diseases in future.
He said the amount of maximum compound of RM1,000 was relevant during the time the act was enacted, but needed amendments that would distinguish between individual offenders and organisations.
The amendments to the Act among others set maximum compounds of RM10,000 for individuals and RM1 million for organisations.