A lot riding on NSC’s decision

Reopening more economic sectors may ease the suffering of businesses due to MCO 3.0 but the government needs to consider other factors before a decision is made on phase two of the current lockdown.

WHERE is the most vibrant part of Petaling Jaya? You could probably hazard a guess that it would be SS2.

The traffic, crowds, congestion and multitude of shops and restaurants – SS2 is the equivalent of Kuala Lumpur’s Masjid India or Jalan Sultan Ismail. Well, not any longer lately.

Try taking a drive to the area and you’ll find shuttered shops, empty streets, ample parking and hardly any traffic.

This is the reality of what’s happening now. The lockdown since June 1 appears to be working because the number of Covid-positive cases has dropped, but the government’s National Recovery Plan could also be the final nail in the coffin for many businesses.

And this cannot go on. The longer we persist on the lockdown, the more businesses will suffer and fail. More people will lose their jobs.

Big industries like the construction sector, the automotive industry and retail operations have been pleading with the government to allow some form of opening up, but it is the sub-contractors, plumbers, electricians, etc, who are the ones that are really affected.

Under the recovery plan, the opening of more economic and social sectors would happen in stages as daily Covid-19 cases reduce, intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy decreases and an increasing percentage of the population has been fully vaccinated.

Phase one of the plan is due to end next Monday. Although the government has set these three separate targets to be reached before deciding whether to move to phase two, they should consider easing restrictions now.

The Health Ministry is still concerned about the high rate of daily Covid cases which is still hovering the 5,000 level. It has recommended easing of restrictions only after the daily cases are at the 4,000 level.

But here I think the government and the National Security Council (NSC) need to be flexible. One size does not fit all, because a prolonged and blanket lockdown will kill the economy. Allow more essential sectors to open up after June 28.

By all means, limit workforce, restrict operating days and hours, but allow these industries to open up again. Throw them the lifeline that they so desperately need.

We all know that mass vaccination is the way out of the current economic and public health crisis and this seems to be the one area where we have made significant progress.

After a few false starts and initial confusion, the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme has sped up considerably. We have even breached the 250,000 daily vaccination rate and this will allow 10% of the population to be vaccinated by mid-July.

With new mega vaccination centres opening up and with multiple vaccine supplies on the way, there is real optimism that 60% of the Malaysian population would have been vaccinated by the end of September.

As we come to some semblance of clarity in this war against Covid, the economy should be allowed to open up in gradual stages, especially for critical sectors that are part of the wider value chain, such as construction, certain manufacturing services and F&B.

A coalition of retailers issued an open letter to the government on Tuesday. They expressed concern that if the current prohibition continues in July, more businesses will be forced to close for good and that economic recovery may prove difficult once the health crisis stabilises.

The NSC, which is due to meet today, needs to assess the situation on the ground and if need be, adjust the National Recovery Plan to these situations.

This decision needs to be tempered with the knowledge that several new, more contagious variants of Covid-19 have emerged. And these variants have derailed reopening efforts in other countries.

There will be a lot riding on the NSC’s decision. Allowing additional economic sectors to open will give these industries breathing space but reopening too soon could also have far-reaching consequences.

The last 15 months have already taken a terrible toll on a lot of people, but I take comfort in the fact that there are ordinary Malaysians out there who, despite their own problems, are striving to make a difference.

“If you know someone who has lost his job or is going through a hard time and is in need of some money to pay bills or keep afloat, do get them to private message me. I may have something for them.”

The above is a viral message on social media that has been circulating the last few weeks. People are reaching out to help those who are desperate. They don’t ask for publicity, but all they want is for you to pay it forward.

So, if you do get this message on your WhatsApp or Facebook, or if someone reaches out to you directly, help if you can. We need to keep as many Malaysians afloat while we wait for better days ahead.