MOH to monitor SOP compliance until Aug 31 - Dr Noor Hisham

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said checks would continue to be conducted under Act 342 (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act) so that action could be taken against those who fail to comply with the SOPs.

"Strict compliance must go on as the virus is still lurking in the community and the possibility of infection still exists.

"If after Aug 31, cases remain to be at single or double digits, MOH will consider lifting the country's border controls," he said at the daily press conference on COVID-19 development at the ministry, here today.

He said one of the conditions to be considered before the border reopening was that, movement should only be limited to the green zones or low risk COVID-19 countries.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham is confident that Malaysia will be able to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission with rigorous public health control measures, without the need for vaccine.

"If we could control the spread of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) infection, by just following public health recommendations, then it is not impossible for us to break the COVID-19 chain of infection without the use of vaccine," he said adding that this would be a better option.