Experts: Maintain SOP during Ramadan month

PETALING JAYA: Limiting the number of people at Ramadan bazaars and allowing only fully vaccinated individuals to enter are among the standard operating procedure (SOP) that has to be maintained during the Ramadan period, say public health experts.

As Ramadan will begin six weeks from today, Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman said the trends seen in other countries had shown that the Omicron waves last for four to six weeks, depending on the intensity of the infection and the vaccination rate.

Dr Malina said she would expect that there would be a simpler approach to managing Ramadan bazaars if the conditions prove to be safe and indicators for pandemic management show that it is suitable for the country to shift to the endemic phase.

As such, she hopes the Omicron threat in the country will be settled by then with a substantial proportion of the population having taken their booster doses and high vaccination rates among children between the ages of five and 11.

“I also hope with improved features in MySejahtera, it would be able to identify any interactions with those who have not completed their vaccination, including those without booster doses.

“As such, those who violate vaccination requirements would not be able to enter any crowded or public places automatically,” she said when contacted yesterday.

Dr Malina said if the country had not shifted to the endemic stage by then, the SOP would still be needed to limit the number of people at Ramadan bazaars.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia health economics, hospital and health management Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said the SOP would still need to be maintained.

“From the current modelling by the Health Ministry, we would see a steady sharp uprising peak in the following weeks. If the SOP is not in place, cases are going to go higher.

“Until more of the population is boosted, we cannot relax the SOP too much as almost 5% of the total cases have a higher risk of admissions and deaths. So, it should follow last year’s SOP but not allow too many people at any bazaar,” she said.

For Ramadan bazaars, she opined that there should be a limit to the number of people depending on the size of the bazaar, suggesting that there should be 50 people per the size of an entire carpark area.

“Don’t bring young children there, too, as they are not vaccinated and are at high risk. The public, too, must play a role in their own self-care,” she added.

International Islamic University Malaysia public health medicine specialist Asst Prof Dr Mohammad Farhan Rusli said only fully vaccinated and boostered adults, as well as kids who had received their vaccination, should be allowed to enter.

“All the vendors must be fully vaccinated and boosted,” he said.

To prevent a spike in cases, he said periodic and regular roadblocks at interstate borders should be conducted to check unvaccinated crossings.