Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia professor of public health Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said Covid-19 rules “should have changed some time ago,” as soon as the infectivity rate began to rise.

She added that the government must move quicker to issue clear directives in the interest of public health, and increase testing in schools and the community to reflect the recent increase in cases and clusters in these areas.

Sharifa said that strict capacity limits must be enforced at schools, workplaces and eateries if they are to remain open, as simply telling businesses to comply is not effective unless monitored by authorities.

“Even though the general guidelines mention keeping capacity under half, it needs to be hammered into people and complied with. It should cut across all organisations, big and small.”

Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said the number of cases has become alarming. “We should not wait for cases to get any higher to bring back certain restrictions,” he said, adding that people should take the initiative to take preventative measures and not wait for government instructions.

He said many people have let down their guard and allowed their compliance with rules to slip.

He said of SOPs that need to make a return, working from home and cutting down on face-to-face business meetings would be a good place to start.

“There are also weaknesses in enforcement of the SOPs that need to be addressed. Some restaurants are not properly ventilated, while some tables are too narrow for a one metre physical distancing to be observed and restaurants now are operating at full capacity. Some adjustments should be made.”

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