CMCO allows employers to prepare for post MCO

Allowing some sectors of the economy to resume operations from Monday is seen as an appropriate step taken by the government to enable premises or employers to have time to prepare for the end of the Movement Control Order (MCO) on May 12.

According to engineer Abdul Rahman Bahasa, the decision to allow almost all the economic sectors to operate in a controlled manner beginning May 4 during phase 4 of the MCO, did not mean that it was mandatory for all businesses to open on that day.

Jotting on his Facebook, he said the nine days period (from May 4 to May 12) for employers to make preparation such as safety measures at their premises, was indeed ample before beginning operations in the 'new normal' environment.

''Indeed, we are aware that the preparation is not easy. In addition, those workers who are stranded in their villages must return to town first. Subsequently, the premises concerned must provide thermometer, mark social distancing, must find sanitisers. Surely, all these will take a week to prepare.

"If we wait until May 12 to announce the reopening of the economy, there would be another week of delay for the country's economy to be fully running which would cause billions of ringgit of losses," he said.

Quoting the speech of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the country was losing RM2.4 billion per day throughout the MCO, and if it were to be continued for one more month, overall losses would be nearly RM100 billion.

Nonetheless, he was of the view that a sudden increase of COVID-19 infections in Malaysia could still occur if people were negligent and careless in practicing the new norms.

He said with the spread of COVID-19 in society under control so long as the contagious rate (RO) or R naught is less than 1.0, with the rate in Malaysia currently at 0.7; in addition to the implement of risk management, he said the likelihood of the outbreak spreading was already under control.

"Actually, many factories have opened since two weeks ago. Several hundred thousands of people have gone to work, but the R0 value is still at 0.7, this is good news!" he said.

As such, Abdul Rahman hoped the public would not be startled into complaining concerning the government's decision to implement Conditional MCO, of which he was confident was not made hastily.

He said the government had studied and ensured that the country complied with the stipulations of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"Sometimes we should not be quick to complain. What is important now, is that we must help ourselves by obeying the standard operating procedures that have been set regardless of whether we are workers or employers.

''We are in a good shape to recover from COVID-19 and for our economy to resume. Together we face these new norms. May there be a ray of sunshine in the days ahead for all of us, amen," he said.

-- BERNAMA