KUALA LUMPUR: Next week will witness Malaysia fighting COVID-19 on a new battlefield of endemicity with new strategies in place, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.

As more restrictions have been lifted and interstate and overseas travel have resumed, he said the onus is on the people to play their roles to keep Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) safe from COVID-19.

"We have been successful thus far in averting a national disaster as seen currently in many countries globally. But we are not out of the woods yet, as next week will witness us fighting on a new battlefield with new strategies in place.

"We can only win this war if all of us, all Malaysians, collectively come together as part of our social responsibility to embrace the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines set by the government," he said in a Facebook post last night.

Dr Noor Hisham said everyone must have social discipline and social compliance to the SOPs, especially in embracing social distancing, taking all the precautionary measures and maintaining good personal hygiene.

"Come this weekend many of you will be travelling back to your hometown. However, you must take this time to plan and do what is necessary to comply with the respective SOPs and abide by the new norms.

"We must ensure everyone adheres to safe distancing, especially in crowded and confined spaces. You may need to address the ventilation of spaces to make it more safe with regular sanitisation of common areas such as pantries or prayer rooms (surau), and only allow a limited number of people to congregate in a space at any one time to ensure safe social distancing, he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said everyone must adapt to these new norms and understand that the world will not be the same anymore.

"We must all learn that every individual's action has a ripple effect on how we manage COVID-19 in our community. We have to adapt, adjust and accommodate the new norms in our lives.

"Let us help each other to make sure our loved ones especially those who are vulnerable are safe, keep Malaysia safe and emerge victorious at the end of this war against an invisible enemy," he said.

In his posting, the Health director-general also pays tribute to all frontline workers and those involved in fighting COVID-19 in the country.

"Alhamdulilah and thank you to all our frontline workers and those behind the scenes who have played pivotal roles in flattening the curve.

"My deepest gratitude to everyone in the Ministry of Health, working as a team towards a common goal to control the spread of COVID-19 in our beloved nation," he said.

Last Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that interstate travel and all local tourism activities will resume on Monday (Oct 11) as more than 90 per cent of adults across the country were fully vaccinated.

-- BERNAMA