PETALING JAYA: The government's decision to implement a movement control order (MCO) is nothing like the lockdowns faced by those in Italy and China, says former health minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic).
Malaysiakini reported that Dr Dzulkefly said that a total lockdown is when people are not able to leave their homes to even buy food.
"It is the best expression of social distancing. It is a disruption, yes, but the endgame is to flatten the epidemic curve," he told the news portal on Monday (March 16) night.
Earlier, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had announced that the movements of Malaysians would be restricted starting from March 18 to 31 to deal with the rise of Covid-19 cases.
Muhyiddin also announced that only supermarkets, public markets, grocery stores, and stores selling basic necessities would be opened including those that provided essential services.
"Be that as it may, as the chair of the Selangor Covid-19 taskforce, I am all for this. This is quite in line with social distancing efforts," Dr Dzulkefly said.