Klang MP Charles Santiago said the government could no longer wait till daily Covid-19 cases drop to 4,000 to move into Phase 2 of the national recovery plan.
Selangor and Kuala Lumpur are currently under Phase 1, or total lockdown, imposed since June 1, allowing only essential sectors to operate.
Yesterday, the health ministry reported almost 20,000 new Covid-19 cases in the country.
With cases rising, Santiago said the government needed to rethink its strategies.
“My suggestion would be to start small. Allow smaller shops to reopen and ensure new SOPs are followed,” he told FMT.
He said hair salons should be allowed to open as they have not reported any cluster. Dining in at restaurants should also be allowed.
Citing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation on the use of ventilators to improve air quality, Santiago said those who follow such an SOP, including factories and restaurants, should be allowed to reopen.
“Cases are unlikely to go down any time soon,” he said.
Santiago warned of more rallies similar to the ones staged by youths at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur because of the increasing frustrations. Even MPs had protested to show dissatisfaction with the government’s suspension of the parliamentary sitting, he said.
“Frustration is at an all-time high. People don’t have jobs, they don’t know how to make ends meet,” he said.
More hungry and angry people now
Economist Yeah Kim Leng of Sunway University said the Klang Valley and other states cannot continue to remain in Phase 1 as it would lead to income and job loss.
Yeah said there have been more lockdowns this year than last year, resulting in severe economic impact. Last year, he said, the gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 5.6% and this year, it is likely to be even worse.
The only way out would be to increase freedom for those fully vaccinated and to gradually open businesses instead of waiting for Covid-19 cases to drop to an average of 4,000 daily.
“The government needs to rescue the economy with more targeted approaches and not have lockdowns anymore,” he said.
SME Association president Michael Kang urged the government to allow more businesses to reopen from this month to keep companies afloat.
“The government should ease restrictions on those fully vaccinated,” he said.
Kang had, on numerous occasions, warned of massive layoffs and wage cuts if uncertainties continue under indefinite lockdowns.
Economist Carmelo Ferlito said more businesses are finding it hard to sustain their operations .
The Center for Market Education (CME) CEO said that even though essential sectors are allowed to open, consumption has dropped because people are being asked to stay home.
“There are more and more hungry and angry people as the climate of uncertainty in politics and the economy grows,” he added.
Economist Barjoyai Bardai of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak urged the government to review the recovery plan and focus instead on preventive measures such as encouraging the use of breath analysers, as Singapore is doing.
Each breath analyser costs RM3,000 and a test costs 15 sen, he said, adding that residents could raise funds to buy the machines. It only takes a few minutes for each test to be completed.
Barjoyai said the breath analysers could be placed in housing areas, schools, condominiums and office blocks for people entering or exiting.
“Covid-19 is now endemic and we need to know how to deal with it. Lockdowns are not the way anymore. They will do more harm than good,” he said.
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