The severity of this pandemic can be detected when Tan Sri Noor Hisham and his squad from MOH began posting on social media videos and pictures of the critically ill Covid patients occupying the ICU beds and wards. This should be a clear and obvious warning to us citizens of the seriousness of this pandemic and its impact as currently, the beds are at 70% capacity, and the number just keeps on increasing. We have seen India and the condition they’re in, and that must serve us as a great reminder that we could just be heading towards that direction, if we as community slacks in adhering to the strict SOPs.
So what actually caused the pandemic to spike beyond control in India recently? The Indian government has set clear SOPs and guidelines, indicating the seriousness and how deadly the pandemic can turn if the guidelines are not followed. What we see now in India is the result of its own citizen, to a certain extent as SOPs were defied, believing that nothing severe could happen if they continue to socialize without any restrictions. There was even a point whereby the police had to literally bring out canes to ensure the citizens to stay put at home. Just imagine!
Overcoming the pandemic requires team effort. MOH and the government alone cannot win this battle if we as community are not doing our very best to curb the virus spread. Ask ourself, how and what can we do to combat this pandemic as a team. We did fairly good in 2020 and were able to bring down cases up to a single digit. Learning from past experience, the government has allowed the economy to operate during MCO 3.0 but with strict SOPs in hand, this as an effort to ensure the country’s economy and the citizen’s financial stability will not be severely affected.
We must already understand by now, after 1 year into the pandemic and with the economy open for business to operate, that the responsibility is now upon us, more than ever. We need to ensure SOPs and guidelines are adhered to, and there is no two way about it if we want our life to go back to some sort of normalcy. It should already be second nature. Of course, all of us would want to celebrate Eid Mubarak with our loved ones and to balik kampung, but if we still continue crowding into confined spaces and not following the SOP, nothing much would actually change to make the situation better. Again, ask ourself, what do we want.
The rakyat’s wellbeing takes precedent in every decision done by the government in handling the pandemic situation. Hence why we can see even with the MCO implementation, majority of the economy is open. This leniency however must not be taken for granted. We’re all adults and are fully capable to weigh the consequences. We must be responsible in our actions as that is what civil society is all about. On this note, enjoy this Malay poem from a fellow Malaysian, to fellow Malaysians;
Pergi ke kedai membeli cincau,
Mohon rakyat Malaysia jangan jadi palatao!
** The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of M-Update
