Kit Siang: Vital for Putrajaya to have exit-strategy in place post-MCO
KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — In suggesting the number of Covid-19 infections has seemingly plateaued over the past few days, a veteran politician has called on the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to begin consultations and prepare an exit strategy to deal with the aftermath of the movement control order.
DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang suggested that the government start looking at steps to handle things once the shutdown is lifted, stressing how the economics of a world post-Covid-19 is one anyone has yet to experience or endure.
“The MCO has been clearly effective in curbing the spread and mortality of Covid-19 cases.
“I call on the Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to initiate extensive consultations with different Malaysian stakeholders on the exit strategy Malaysia should adopt, as this is an uncharted territory not only for Malaysia, but also for the world.
“Unless a vaccine for Covid-19 is developed — and there are vaccine specialists who say that this will take more than 18 months — it will not be possible to return to normalcy pre-Covid-19 pandemic,” he wrote in a statement today.
He warned that lifting the movement control order too early would in itself adversely affect the situation, explaining how health experts have recommended an intermediate stage that will see schools and businesses reopen while still enforcing restrictions on public gatherings.
Lim again pressed his point that the government must conduct mass testings on those showing symptoms of the disease, saying it was vital to identify and isolate these patients early as part of their post-shutdown steps.
“Malaysian stakeholders should play a full part on the exit strategy we should adopt.
"Who knows, we may develop a model which might be emulated by other countries as among the best in the new world of Covid-19 pandemic economics,” he wrote.
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