This follows international trade and industry minister Azmin Ali recently saying that the country would not implement another total lockdown because of the economic repercussions.

Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said although no one wanted another lockdown, the government should not discount the potential for one due to the emergence of the Omicron variant.

“We all hope there is no further lockdown but it should not be set in stone because of the continued threat from the Omicron variant.

“We are already in the third day of cases being above 10,000 and further action must be taken if the situation worsens,” the Gopeng MP told FMT.

He said he was confident the country could avoid another lockdown due to the vaccination rate and the booster dose programme now well under way.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) virologist Amir Yunus agreed that Malaysia had the tools to better contain the spread of the virus but stressed that any decisions made by the government must be backed by data.

“As the current data shows, even though the number of cases is increasing sharply daily, the number of hospitalisations, ICU and ventilator usage, and deaths are still relatively low,” he said.

He said based on current data, it would not make sense to implement a total lockdown.

Meanwhile, economist Carmelo Ferlito welcomed the government’s assurance of no further lockdowns.

“This would be an enormously positive message for the local and foreign business communities and a strong push for profit expectations and economic recovery.”

The CEO of the Center for Market Education (CME) cited a recent Johns Hopkins University study which found that lockdowns had a limited effect on Covid-19 deaths but an extremely high impact on the economy and livelihoods, especially for lower-income groups.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST DATA ON THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA