Support for masking again

PETALING JAYA: Parents not only want the return of the mask mandate in schools, but they also want more support to be given to the schools to ensure that schools are not burdened.

Commenting on the Health Ministry’s recommendation for the use of face masks when schools reopen on May 2, Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai, however, said a mask mandate was not necessary.

Dr Muruga said in a statement yesterday that it was more important for students to wash or sanitise their hands and avoid touching their faces.

SMK Cochrane and SMK (P) Bandaraya parent-teacher association (PTA) chairman Faizal Mohammad Arshad said preventive measures against Covid-19 were important to ensure all classes could run smoothly, especially Form Five classes where students would be taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

Welcoming the proposal by the Health Ministry, Faizal recommended that more support be given to schools, which had been incurring a sizeable expense when providing face masks for students.

“We saw a reduction in attendance in school post-Covid-19, as there were a lot of absences due to viral infections,” he said.

Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said on Wednesday that the masking-up suggestion was to prevent the resurgence of Covid-19 due to the XBB1.16 or Arcturus subvariant.

Yesterday, after attending a Health White Paper townhall session at the Sarawak General Hospital, the Health Minister said masking up in schools was not compulsory in view of the current downward trend of Covid-19 cases in the country.

She added that she would hold a meeting with Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek on the matter this week to discuss guidelines and the need to control the spread of Covid-19 in schools.

Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) chairman Mak Chee Kin said standard operating procedures should be reinstated, with the 3Ws – wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep your distance – and the 3Cs – crowded and confined spaces, as well as close contact – avoided.

“Although these precautions are inconvenient and costly, prevention is better than cure.

“We don’t want to wait until another outbreak to reimplement Covid-19 measures that have helped the situation,” he said.

Educationist and former Universiti Malaya professor Tan Sri Dr T. Marimuthu said that with the new Covid-19 variant, it was prudent for all students to wear masks in schools.

“Students don’t only stay in schools; they also return home, where they are in contact with other adults,” he said.

Marimuthu added that since most students had been wearing masks for a period of time, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to readjust to wearing masks again.