‘Continue to practise social distancing and wear face masks’

KUALA LUMPUR: Social distancing must still be observed even as wearing face masks is made mandatory in crowded public areas and public transport, says Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia (MPCAM) president Dr M. Raj Kumar.

He said the government imposing the wearing of face masks in public places was timely and necessary especially now that people had become more complacent and the number of Covid-19 cases had increased.

“But public transport should not be packed ‘like sardines’. There should be spacing and sanitisation.

“The number of passengers must be limited according to the size of the bus or else imposing face mask ruling may be futile, ” he said.

Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday announced that the use of face masks in crowded public areas would be made compulsory from Aug 1 and those who did not comply could be fined or prosecuted in court.

On Wednesday, a poll carried by The Star’s Facebook page revealed that out of 45,700 votes, about 90% (41,200 votes) voted for the compulsory wearing of face masks in public areas and 10% (4,500) against.

Dr Raj also said that it might not be necessary to use a face mask when running alone in a less crowded route but this was very subjective.

“If a jogger finds himself or herself caught in a crowded area, yes, he or she should put on a mask, ” he said.

Business consultant Eleen Ooi, 39, said the requirement to wear a face mask would benefit the public in general, especially in ensuring the spread of Covid-19 was controlled.

“That said, the ministry has to clearly define what is ‘crowded places’. If they mean areas with many people, then how do we know what areas would have many people? This information is generally not available to the public and the government should make it clear what constitutes ‘crowded places’, ” she said.

In JOHOR BARU, the new ruling received a mixed reaction.

While many agreed that face masks played an important role in breaking the Covid-19 chain, some felt that it was unnecessary to take such a drastic measure.

“While many are taking precautions to avoid the spread of Covid-19, some people seem to take the matter lightly and the only way for people to take the issue more seriously is by taking drastic measures, such as making it compulsory to wear face masks in public places, ” said make-up artist Abdul Hakim Azmi, 25.

He said Malaysians could not afford to have another wave of Covid-19 as this would further devastate the country’s economy.

Housewife V. Kanagavalli, 38, said the government must ensure that face mask supply was available for everyone before making its usage compulsory in public places.

“It may be difficult for some people to afford face masks and getting fined for not wearing something that they could not afford would only make matters worse for them.

“I think making it compulsory to wear a face mask in public is a good step but the government must ensure that everyone has access to it first, ” she said.