IPOH: Perak folk believe that the re-introduction of the Movement Control Order (MCO) in the state from Jan 22 to Feb 4 is necessary in order to bring down the soaring Covid-19 figures.
However, they are hoping that the authorities would give leeway to more businesses to continue to operate.
Mohd Hafizee Arop, 35, said the overall daily Covid-19 numbers have yet to show any significant improvement and as such, the MCO is necessary.
Hafizee, who runs a window tinting business, is resigned to the fact that his business is set to take a dip.
"I know that this decision will have a huge impact on my income. However, I need to accept it as this is the best decision for the sake of everyone.
"This will affect my business for several months. The first round of the MCO led to my business being closed for almost two months.
"I'm hoping that this time around, the government will continue to allow us to operate," said Hafizee, who has a shop in Silibin and Station 18 here.
Meanwhile, e-hailing driver Tarmizi Yusof, 34, acknowledged that there was no other way to contain the spread of the coronavirus than by bringing back the MCO.
"During last year's MCO, it was hard for me to earn even RM10 per hour. I hardly got any passengers each day. My income dropped by over 50 per cent.
"However, I know that this is the best decision to make in order to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further," he said.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had earlier announced that the entire country, with the exception of Sarawak, will come under the MCO.
The latest states to come under the MCO were Kedah, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Terengganu and Perlis.