KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has called on Malaysians not to be complacent with the dwindling new Covid-19 cases in the country.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said instead the public should remain vigilant and abide by the standard operating procedures (SOPs) as outlined by the ministry and take preventive measures at all times.
He said with more sectors set to reopen starting tomorrow (July 1), public cooperation was crucial in the country's effort to break the Covid-19 transmission chain.
"To ensure a smooth recovery process, the government has established standard operating procedures for (various) sectors and sub-sectors.
"High compliance of these SOPs is paramount in ensuring that new Covid-19 cases continue to decline," he said.
On this note, Dr Noor Hisham highlighted World Health Organisation chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' warning made during a virtual briefing that Covid-19 global cases were "actually speeding up".
He quoted the WHO chief who had said: "We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives.
But the hard reality is this is not even close to being over."
Dr Noor Hisham said although most sectors of the economy had reopened and were fully operational, the spread of Covid-19 within the community remained under control.
"This proves that the country's recovery has already begun. Nonetheless, Covid-19 monitoring and surveillance are still on-going to ensure the coronavirus transmission in the community can be detected early."
On June 26, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri had announced the reopening of three tourism sub-sectors namely Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE); travel and trip fairs; and spa, wellness and reflexology centres from tomorrow (July 1).
Previously, Ismail Sabri had also announced the reopening of preschools and kindergartens; cinemas and theatres; recreational activities at swimming pools, and theme parks from July 1, along with wedding ceremonies and birthday parties.