Everything About the Easing of M’sia MCO, Which Was Supposed to End on 12 May

Let’s admit it: I know what you’re thinking.

Would this happen in Singapore as well? Would we have bubble tea soon? Can you finally meet your girlfriend?

Well, for a start, do note that all over the world, countries have been lifting restrictions.

More than half of all states in the US are going to lift restrictions by the end of this week.

McDonald’s and KFC in New Zealand ran out of food after the lockdown was lifted a few days back.

Even Spain, the second most-hit country in the world so far, will enter Phase Zero on 4 May 2020 after almost 7 weeks of lockdown, whereby small businesses would be able to open.

So yes, despite us being locked in our house, many countries are lifting restrictions, with the main reason being that they’re suffering really badly economically; over in the US, over 30 million people have lost their jobs.

However, do note that all the countries didn’t just end the lockdown wholesale; instead, they’re merely lifting some restrictions, and not all businesses would be able to open. Gatherings are still limited to a very small number, akin to how our lives were like prior to Circuit Breaker.

And of course, today, we learn that closer to home, Malaysia is also lifting some restrictions, and just like the world, it’s same same but different.

Everything About the Easing of M’sia MCO, Which Was Supposed to End on 12 May

Malaysia has been on partial lockdown since 18 March 2020. Called the Movement Control Order (MCO), it’s just like the Circuit Breaker in Singapore, just a tad stricter—barbers weren’t even open in the beginning of the lockdown.

Malaysia PM Muhyiddin Yassin had announced extensions of the lockdown a few times, with the last time being on 23 April 2020, when he said that the lockdown would be extended to 12 May 2020.

By then, the lockdown has shown results: daily new cases have dropped from 3 digit to 2 digit consistently, and if you’d look at this graph of daily new cases, it shows a downward trend since somewhere around mid-April:

And so, while the MCO would end on 12 May 2020, Malaysia PM Muhyiddin Yassin announced today that you can finally cut your hair from next Monday onwards.

Well, no lah he didn’t say that lah but you get the gist: from 4 May 2020, “almost all economic sectors will be allowed to open with conditions.”

But it’s not all businesses.

Known as the “conditional MCO”, businesses or events that involve mass gatherings, like football, rugby, night clubs, entertainment outlets, swimming at public pools, religious mass gatherings, exhibitions and Ramadan food bazaars, would still be banned.

As for activities, it has to be restricted to less than 10 people.

For eateries, dine-in would finally be allowed, but there would be restrictions. The PM said, “Tables must be arranged at least two metres away from each other and it is important that there is safe, ample room for customers and waiters to pass through.”

There would be more conditions, like how a restaurant must ensure that there is a hand sanitiser and staff must wear face masks.

Schools will, however, remain closed.

Travel between states is still disallowed unless it’s for work purposes.

But why? Why a sudden lifting of restrictions when it was planned for 12 May 2020?

Well, it’s for the same reason everywhere else.

The PM said, “This is important as business and work are sources of income. If we are under MCO for too long, we will not get any income and this will have a bad impact on your finances.”

For you number crunchers, here’s why: each day during the MCO, the country suffers a whopping RM2.4 billion (~S$800 million) of losses. That means they’re now looking at total losses of RM63 billion (~S$20 billion). And that doesn’t include the number of jobs that have been lost, which isn’t revealed yet.

In 2019 alone, Malaysia’s estimated revenue is at RM312 billion—that means the 1.5 month has wiped off 20% of their annual revenue. And remember, that is loss, so that means you’re deducting RM 63 billion from losses and another RM 63 billion from potential revenue—if that even makes sense to you.

If not, you just need to know that the impact is big.

But of course, it’s a calculated risk. PM Muhyiddin said, “I realise you are all worried. I am worried too, and in some nations too, when the lockdown ended, the number of Covid-19 positive cases increased exponentially.

“We must find ways to balance between healing the nation’s economy and addressing Covid-19.

“Based on advice from the Ministry of Health and based on collected data, and the best practice guide stipulated by the World Health Organisation, the government has decided to reopen economic sectors cautiously, by implementing stringent health standard operating procedures, beginning May 4.”

The whole idea of any lockdown isn’t to contain the virus, but to flatten the curve so as to ensure that the healthcare capacity is not overwhelmed.

With the curve flattened now, he added, “God willing, we have enough manpower, bed in hospitals, quarantine centres, medicines, ventilators, personal protection equipment and labs should the infection rate increase again.

“What needs to be done is to increase the ability of our public healthcare system, to face any possibility. So even though we have successfully controlled the spreading of Covid-19, let us not be ignorant and continue to be cautious.”

And just like other countries, the decision is not without concerns.

Another MCO in the Future?

Health experts have claimed that the fight against COVID-19 might be a series of lockdowns until a vaccine is approved, and while no one knows what’ll happen next, an expert has said that the sudden change might confuse people. Azrul Mohd Khalib, the executive director of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, added, “This could result in Malaysia lurching from this MCO to another one a few months later.”

He suggested giving Malaysians a week to prepare instead.

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The President of the Association of Doctors Johor, Dr Ng Kim Fong, said this might lead to a spike in cases, adding, “Most healthcare workers are worried…However, this will be the new normal.

“People must continue to practise social distancing, wear masks and wash their hands regularly.”

If you’ve been reading about how other countries have lifted the restrictions, you’d realise this is a familiar story throughout the world.

So, would we Singapore jump on the bandwagon as well?

The lesson to learn now is that second-guessing is completely pointless now. After all, a month ago, we were all told not to wear masks, we could go out to have a meal in a hawker centre and we were all working in our offices.

Predicting the future now is like guessing what your girlfriend or wife wants for dinner—there’s a right answer but you’d never get it right.

Instead, you should read about the latest updates by bookmarking MOH’s website here and registering for the Gov.sg’s WhatsApp service here.

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