COVID-19: 'Total lockdown' government's last option - Redzuan

KUALA LUMPUR: The proposed total lockdown is only the last resort in the effort to deal with COVID-19 following Malaysia's previous success in controlling the epidemic through a good crisis management mechanism.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Special Duties), Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof said if the total lockdown is implemented, it will have a negative impact on mental and economic health.

So, the government, he said, made balanced control through prevention methods by cultivating new norms.

"Total lockdown or curfew order does not need to be implemented because we are in the recovery stage and exit policy as I mentioned earlier.

"This national crisis management mechanism that has been implemented has successfully controlled the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic and avoids health facilities such as hospitals and clinics being burdened with too many cases.

"If this total lockdown is made, it will have a negative impact on mental and economic health," he said in Parliament here, on Thursday.

He said this in response to a question from Arau Member of Parliament, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim on the justification of the government not implementing the Movement Control Order (MCO) or lockdown due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases.

Commenting further, Mohd Redzuan explained that the government makes a balanced control through the best preventive method that is by cultivating and practicing new norms.

He said the government had previously implemented the MCO as the government at that time had not yet refined the appropriate methods to be made to deal with the problem of COVID-19 epidemic.

"At that time, the government was in the work in progress phase to review standard operating procedures (SOP) that can be applied to carry out activities by providing a balance to economic, physical and social activities," said Mohd Redzuan.