After a year of MCO, hope is on the horizon

Since then, Malaysians have gradually adopted new norms in daily routines, something that we have never experienced before, following the implementation of the MCO due to the pandemic which has had a devastating impact on every individual, family, various sectors and the government.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on March 16 last year, for the first time in the country's history, announced the implementation of the MCO, effective March 18, in accordance with the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, to break the chain of virus infection.

Since then, it has become a routine for Malaysians to wait for daily updates from the Prime Minister and Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, on the development of the MCO.

Undoubtedly, looking back at one year of the MCO, its implementation, despite the restrictions, has taught us important lessons and given us wisdom, to stay united in the fight against the pandemic and, in the process, we have become more resilient and creative to ensure our survival.

With social restrictions and the introduction of physical distancing, the people began to comply with the MCO, which brought big changes in their daily lives, including virtual classes, meetings, seminars and conferences.

House visits and 'balik kampung' (returning to the village) during religious celebrations and weddings have also taken a back seat during the MCO.

Roadblocks were mounted nationwide to ensure citizens stayed home and avoided going out without valid reason.

When the infection showed a declining trend, on May 4, the government loosened the SOPs slightly with the introduction of the Conditional MCO (CMCO) to reopen the country's economic sector in a controlled manner, with strict adherence to the MCO standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Despite reopening of several economic sectors, sports activities involving large gatherings, physical contact and other risks of infection were disallowed.

Interstate travel, including 'balik kampung', was still disallowed except for work purposes, and for those returning home after being stranded in hometowns or elsewhere.

Then, on June 10, the CMCO was replaced with the Recovery MCO (RMCO), marking the recovery phase from the implementation of the MCO and CMCO, until Dec 31, 2020.

However, due to some in the community's lackadaisical attitude in complying with the SOPs, there was a sharp increase of COVID-19 cases, causing the government to announce the re-implementation of the MCO for 14 days from Jan 13 to 26, 2021, in Penang, Selangor, Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan), Melaka, Johor and Sabah.

At the same time, the CMCO was re-imposed in six states, namely, Pahang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan.

Yesterday (March 16), the government announced that the CMCO in three states - Kedah, Perak and Negeri Sembilan - will be changed to the RMCO, while six other states, as well as a few districts, remained under the CMCO, effective this Friday (March 19) until March 31.

The extension of the CMCO in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang and Kelantan will take effect from March 19 to 31, while in Sarawak, from yesterday to March 29. Seven other states - Perlis, Melaka, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah, Putrajaya and Labuan - still remain under the RMCO.

Interstate travel is still disallowed, except for travel bubble activities, while interdistrict travel is allowed, except in Sabah and Sarawak.

Understanding the people's struggles, the government, acted swiftly by announcing various economic stimulus packages to help ease the burden.

Among the assistances announced are the Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) to provide cash assistance, and the Wage Subsidy Programme (PSU), to help employers maintain their businesses and employees, under the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (PRIHATIN).

The large allocation of RM320 billion, released through five stimulus packages, clearly demonstrated that the government has consistently prioritised the well-being and welfare of the people.

These include the PRIHATIN worth RM250 billion; the PRIHATIN Package for SMEs (Additional Measures) worth RM10 billion, the National Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) worth RM35 billion, the PRIHATIN Supplementary Initiative Package (KITA PRIHATIN) worth RM10 billion and the latest, the PERMAI Package worth RM15 billion.

After more than a year battling the pandemic, which has claimed more than 1,000 lives thus far, finally on Feb 21 the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), and on Feb 27, Malaysia took delivery of the Sinovac vaccine.

Malaysians have been praying daily for the COVID-19 pandemic to ease and then completely disappear, hoping that for years to come there will be no more MCO, letting it be a sweet, bitter and precious experience for all of us.