Many happy with easing of rules under conditional MCO

IPOH: After being house-bound for weeks, many people welcome the relaxation of rules under the conditional movement control order (MCO) which came into effect on May 4.

Clerk Ahmad Zahiril Aiman, 43, said he was glad to be able to go to work and to exercise again.

“These past few weeks, I have been working from home, and honestly, I don't think it suits me.

"Some of my bosses took this as an opportunity to ask us to do work after our usual office hours.

“One of my bosses once texted me on Sunday at 3pm and asked if I could complete some work that was pending.

“Working from home might be ideal for some, but it doesn't suit me at all,” he said.

Ahmad said he had been religiously following the new normal of social distancing, wearing a face mask and washing his hands regularly.

He said he was looking forward to going for a jog alone soon.

“I have yet to jog but I plan to do so over the weekend,” he said.

The conditional MCO is seeing several economic sectors resuming operations and people are given more freedom to go out and about.

A jogger who wished to be known only as Sandy, 32, said she welcomed the conditional MCO with open arms.

“I was really glad when the Prime Minister announced that some sports would be allowed during this phase of the MCO.

“Of course, I will follow the guidelines on practising social distancing when jogging. I, too, do not want to be infected with the Covid-19.

“For the past few weeks, I could only run on my treadmill, but since May 4, I get to run around my neighbourhood,” she said, adding that she ran alone.

Sandy said she was hopeful that eateries would be allowed to welcome dine-in customers soon.

“When I visited my favourite coffee shop, the owner expressed disappointment over the low turnover for customers and profit. Most of his customers are local residents and prefer to dine-in rather than order takeaways.

“He said he would certainly comply with the guidelines should dine-in be allowed again. If restaurants can follow the guidelines, I believe the government can consider allowing dine-in again,” she said.

Some appear to take the relaxation of the rules too far. On May 8, 14 youths pleaded guilty to breaching the MCO after they were caught partying at an apartment on Jalan CM Yusuff here.

Gathering for the purpose of entertainment is a violation of the MCO.

Student Kalai, 23, said he planned to visit his friends soon.

“Despite the rule, I might try to visit my friends who are living near my house.It will be a short visit, and I only want to drop by to give them food as some of them are living on their own and have no money.

“I’m lucky that my college is only a mile away from my grandparents' house. Most of my friends are renting.

“To stay connected, we use Zoom, WhatsApp video call and WeChat to talk to each other. I truly cannot wait for the MCO to be over. I miss my friends terribly,” he said.