War against Covid-19 still ongoing but battlefield has changed, says Health DG

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is still in an ongoing war against Covid-19 but perhaps on a different battlefield, says Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said that the main objective of phase one, two and three of the MCO was to flatten the curve and Malaysia has succeeded in doing so.

"The MCO is there not to end the transmission of the virus. That is not the intention at all.

"Now we are still in an ongoing war but perhaps on a different battlefield. In a different battlefield, we will need a new strategy," he said in his daily press conference on Saturday (May 2).

On Friday (May 1), Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced easing the MCO to a conditional MCO on May 4 to allow most industries and economic activities to resume with standard operating procedures set by the authorities.

He said the new strategy was to empower both the government and the public to ensure they can play their own role against Covid-19.

"Two things that we want the community and the individual to empower themselves, which is social discipline and social responsibility.

"If we are unable to deliver the social responsibility and social discipline, again our fight against Covid-19 will be difficult for the next couple of weeks.

"The Health Ministry urges the public to come together to make sure they adhere to the social compliance," he said.