M’sia PM Says ‘Lockdown’ Might Be Extended for Another 2 Weeks

By
Shawn Ambrose
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Remember when China first imposed a lockdown on Wuhan? We were shocked because we had never experienced anything like this before. How could they lock citizens up like that? Life there must be awful!

Then other countries started following suit to curb the spread of the virus, like Italy and Spain, but by then we had heard the word “lockdown” so many times that we were like okay, that sucks, but what else is going on?

But then Malaysia (truly Asia), imposed a lockdown, and Singaporeans lost their shit and all hopes of finding that shit.

We panicked like we’ve been trained to do since birth, and stocked up on groceries and toilet paper.

Well, if you’re prone to panicking despite all the reassurances you’ve been given by the Singaporean government, I have some bad news for you.

M’sia PM Says ‘Lockdown’ Might Be Extended for Another 2 Weeks

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said on Monday (23 March) that the government may consider extending the Movement Control Order (MCO) by up to two weeks.

For those that don’t know, an MCO is basically a nicer way of saying “lockdown”. It’s like calling a deep, infected wound a boo-boo.

During this MCO, all residents are urged to stay at home, and all schools, houses of worship, and business premises have been closed, with a few exceptions.

The MCO was put in place on 18 March and was scheduled to end on 31 March. However, authorities are considering extending the lockdown because the number of Covid-19 infections in the country is continuing to rise.

NSC to decide

On the first day of the lockdown, Malaysia had 790 cases, but that number has almost doubled in less than a week, with a total of 1,518 infections at the time of writing. 14 people have died from the disease so far.

The Prime Minister said that the National Security Council will decide if the two-week lockdown is sufficient or needs to be extended.

“If there are improvements as a result of the action undertaken by the Health Ministry, as well as cooperation from all, including participants of the tabligh gathering who have yet to be tested, then this shows that the MCO is working.

“We will have to monitor the development first before deciding,” he said after chairing the Economic Action Council meeting on Monday (23 March).

But, are an additional two weeks enough to stop the spread of this highly contagious disease? Maybe not.

May need up to six weeks

Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang, an epidemiologist, believes that the Covid-19 situation in Malaysia will only improve if the MCO is enforced for at least 6 weeks, meaning a four-week extension of the current lockdown.

“We need six weeks. The 14-day MCO may be inadequate. If it is successful and we see a decline in new infections, we still need to extend it as we want the numbers to come down to zero or a number that is small and manageable. And that is not going to happen in two weeks,” he said in a report by Malay Mail.

But why is this?

Dr Awang pointed out that at least four more waves of infection will come from the Jamek Seri Petaling mosque gathering, the gathering at Makassar in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the floating chariot festival in Teluk Bahang, Penang.

These large groups, who returned to their hometowns just days ago, are expected to spike infections, he said.

No reason to worry

But, remember, even if Malaysia extends its lockdown, Singaporeans will be fine because food supplies are still being brought into the country.

So, don’t panic, because there’s absolutely no reaso- you’re already buying toilet paper, aren’t you?

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]