Reacting to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s indication of a possible enhancement of anti-Covid-19 controls, Universiti Malaya dean of medicine Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman told FMT she believed it would be better to place a heavier emphasis on ensuring that people diligently follow SOPs even when at home.
She said changing people’s behaviour was the hardest part of pandemic management but commended the health ministry for doing a good job in getting its message out to Malaysians.
The message “just needs to be repeated over and over again”, she added.
Muhyiddin said in a recent social media post that he had instructed the National Security Council to assess the desirability of enhancing SOPs for social and sports activities to a level of strictness that was enforced during the first MCO in March.
However, research conducted by Italy’s health ministry has found that 80.3% of infections happened in the homes of patients and only 4.2% came from recreational activity and schools.
Adeeba said limiting outdoor sports where the risk of transmission was relatively low would be “counterproductive” since it could compound the restlessness many were experiencing and cause them to rebel against restrictions.
“If we put too many restrictions on people, eventually they will just say, ‘Stuff it. I’ve had enough of this’.
“I’m not saying we should let all hell break loose. People just need to know which activities have a higher or lower risk.”
Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib said poor adherence was due to poor health literacy, adding that this meant the effectiveness of SOPs had not been maximised.
“Regardless of whatever restrictions that are imposed or threats of penalties being bandied about by the government, people are less likely to adhere to SOPs that have been outlined when they are among family members, friends and even office colleagues,” he told FMT.
“It is pointless to impose additional restrictions as success depends on individuals, families and communities understanding them and cooperating.
“Compliance with SOPs cannot be reliant on health authorities or law enforcement,” he said.
Azrul said the government must continue to invest in effective communication as there was a need to ensure Malaysians not only understand the SOPs and their importance but also support and respect them.
Dr Subramaniam Muniandy, president of the Malaysian Medical Association, said his organisation had observed a “disregard for SOPs” among the public, particularly in the improper wearing of masks.
He said the deployment of plain-clothed enforcement officers could improve compliance among both business operators and members of the general public.
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