The housing and local government minister said people are full of praise for China’s mass sanitisation efforts as seen in comments from readers of various local news reports.

“Many readers have commented on why Malaysia is not doing the same to curb Covid-19,” she said in a statement.

In June, health think tank Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy had urged government officials not to waste time and resources carrying out sanitisation of buildings and public areas.

It said scientific data shows that cases of Covid-19 infections from surfaces are extremely rare.

Zuraida added that the Fire Department had so far conducted 37,404 operations nationwide, including at schools, low-cost public housing, playgrounds and residential areas.

“Still some criticised the initiative, claiming it was a waste of time,” she said, adding that she hopes China’s large-scale sanitisation exercise will be an eye-opener for others on how to curb Covid-19.

She also hoped that the sanitisation exercise will continue, saying that the issues raised by some “infectious disease experts” were irrelevant with the same efforts taking place in many countries, including China.

She added that no one should underestimate the work done by the Fire Department.

“I believe that Malaysians will be wise when it comes to sharing the right information and supporting the efforts carried out by the Fire Department,” she said.