PUTRAJAYA: There are six criteria that must be met before the government can decide to lift the Movement Control Order (MCO), Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said.
He said the most important of the six are border control and movement control.
“There is a possibility that we cannot completely lift the MCO, as there must be a soft landing.
“If we loosen border control, there is a big chance that those from overseas who enter Malaysia may bring the virus.
“As for movement control, apart from maintaining distance, perhaps those who are not related to the economic sector could remain at home,” he said at a press conference today.
Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry would discuss methods to screen or detect those who enter Malaysia after the MCO is lifted.
“If we have a good investigation method, it shouldn’t be a problem. However, if we can’t track them, they would have to be quarantined for 14 days.”
The third criterion, he added, is to improve the country’s healthcare system in terms of lab capability and having a sufficient number of wards and intensive care units.”
He said the fourth criterion is to protect high-risk groups such as the elderly, the disabled, those undergoing chemotherapy, and those with comorbidities.
“As for the fifth, the public must practice the new normal, which is to ensure social distancing, always washing their hands, and avoiding gatherings.
“The last is to see if we can work together with communities to implement preventive measures.”
He added that the ministry is still in discussion over the six criteria.