Adopt new norms to fight COVID-19 - Dr Noor Hisham

The Health director-general described compliance with the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the government such as physical distancing, wearing face masks and frequent hand washing is the best method in changing people's lives for the better.

"If we look at the way we celebrate Maal Hijrah 1442, it is very different where we embrace new norms and this new lifestyle is a migration or emigrating to a new and better lifestyle.

"So with the SOP we have implemented and having told the people to comply, other infectious diseases including measles and hand, foot and mouth (HFMD) disease have seen a drop in cases by up to 60 per cent apart from COVID-19 ," he said.

He said this in a press conference after receiving the award from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at the national level Maal Hijrah celebration at the National Mosque here last night.

According to Dr Noor Hisham, the SOP used now had actually been practised during the time of leading Islamic medical figure, Ibnu Sina, for example by tightening border control, avoiding large gatherings and not shaking hands during an epidemic.

He believed that if the people complied with the SOP, the country would be able to cut off the infection chain of COVID-19 even though no vaccine has been found at the moment, just as the country did when faced with the spread of SARS and Mers-CoV.

"As a surgeon I may be able to save one life at a time, but in the administration of public health, if our planning is right we can save one country.

“So this is the responsibility that we share together in the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) where we work as a team and also with other ministries. We use the ‘whole government and whole society approach’ and I call on all Malaysians to jointly help our country to fight COVID-19,” he said.

At this year's celebration themed 'Ummah Rabbani Negara Harmoni', Al-Sultan Abdullah also presented the International Maal Hijrah icon award to Sheikh Al-Azhar Al-Syarif, Sheikh Prof Dr Ahmad Tayyib.

He was unable to attend the ceremony and was represented by the Egyptian Ambassador to Malaysia Gamal Abdel Rahim Mohamed Metwally.

Earlier, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Senator Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri who announced the recipient also read Sheikh Ahmad Tayyib's thank you speech to the Malaysian government for the honour.