KUALA LUMPUR – Beginning tomorrow, the people in this country will once again undergo a total lockdown for two weeks in order to curb the COVID-19 pandemic with the spike in cases.
National Security Council (MKN) deputy director-general, Datuk Rodzi Md Saad said based on what the people wanted and aspired for, the implementation of the total lockdown also required the cooperation and necessary actions of all in the country.
“They must have the real spirit of unity, hence the government is calling and appealing for everyone to together use this phase to comply with all the SOPs (standard operating procedures) set to break the COVID-19 chain of infection.”
He said this in Bernama TV’s Malaysia Petang Ini programme titled ‘Total Lockdown: Terus Berjuang, Kita Menang’ (Keep Fighting, We’ll Win), here, today.
Rodzi said although the total lockdown this time would not be like the Movement Control Order (MCO) 1.0 in March last year, MKN was confident that the people’s compliance rate would be higher and the country would win in its efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.
He said the government indeed had high hopes in everyone to respond to the call (to curb the viral infection) and play their role accordingly as the restrictions imposed were wanted and aspired for together and thus required joint actions.
MKN at its Special Meeting on Managing COVID-19 last Friday decided to implement the first phase of the total lockdown for the social and economic sectors nationwide for a period of 14 days from tomorrow.
On some relaxation given such as allowing recreational activities like exercising and jogging, Rodzi said the decision showed the government’s concern for the well-being of the people.
“The aim of implementing the total lockdown is to break the COVID-19 chain of infection. Therefore, the government’s call and request for people to stay at home and not to leave the house for anything unimportant or critical should be adhered to.
“However, we understand that when people stay home for a long period, they can become restless. Hence, for the purpose of maintaining health, we allow such recreational activities but in a strict and controlled situation,” he added.
Rodzi also reminded the public not to resort to panic buying as the food and beverage sector could still operate as stipulated during the total lockdown.
Pengkalan Chepa PKRC to house PUS
Meanwhile in a related development, Kelantan PKRC director Dr Mohd Zurairie Mohd Zubir has announced that the COVID-19 Low-Risk Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC) at Pengkalan Chepa Industrial Training Institute (ILP), is the first PKRC in the state to place persons-under-surveillance (PUS).
He said the need to place PUS at the centre was because the Quarantine Station (SK) in the Education Technology Resource Sector (SSTP) Pengkalan Chepa had reached maximum capacity.
Dr Mohd Zurairie said the PKRC is able to accommodate 278 patients involving two groups, who are positive cases after undergoing the COVID-19 screening test for monitoring in terms of symptoms and quarantine period.
It will also house the PUS for COVID-19 close contact cases that have negative results after the first or second COVID-19 screening test.
“We will isolate them on the third floor of the PKRC, in a special room provided with 70 beds and those placed here will undergo quarantine for 10 days,” he told reporters after visiting PKRC ILP Pengkalan Chepa, here, today.
Dr Mohd Zurairie said the need to place PUS in the PKRC was also because more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients in categories one and two were undergoing ‘House Isolation Order (HIO)’ in the state.
“Some of those who are undergoing HIO do not have suitable living space to undergo quarantine such as separate rooms and toilets apart from having children and senior citizens in their homes. Therefore the best step is to place them in PKRC,” he said.
On the Pengkalan Chepa ILP PKRC, Dr Mohd Zurairie said the 14th PKRC in the state started operation today, and would house category one and two COVID-19 patients and focus on placing patients among family members.
He said his team had also set up a special team under the Medical Division of the Health Department to identify suitable places to be the next PKRC.
“For now, we will maximise the existing PKRC to avoid the opening of a new PKRC which will require more manpower,” he said.
