Letters

Don't take things for granted

LETTERS: The country is gearing up to open more sectors and that means more businesses are resuming operations.

On the road, there are more cars with people heading back to the office and elsewhere.

Gymnasiums and bowling alleys are allowed to open. Spa, wellness and reflexology centres will likely open their doors next month.

Tourism players are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Between Sept 16 and 19, there were close to 10,000 tourists in Langkawi.

Besides, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, has proposed to open Genting Highlands, Pulau Tioman and Melaka via the domestic tourism bubble.

With all the relaxation measures in place, is it safe to say that we are at the endemic phase when the number of cases is still hitting five figures?

Based on the data shared by the Health Ministry on CovidNow, Malaysia reported 14,554 new Covid-19 cases, with 116 deaths, last Friday.

Looking at the numbers, it doesn't look like we will win this battle any time soon.

As a mother of a daughter who is barely a year old, it concerns me deeply. The thought of returning to the office is enough to scare me, fearing the risk of infection, as well as putting my family at risk.

As much safety precaution as we can take, that doesn't guarantee that we will be 100 per cent protected. The least that we can do is to reduce harm.

Take wearing a face mask, for example. We know that wearing a face mask is the most basic protection.

However, people have been taking this so lightly. Sometimes, the sight of people putting their face masks below their noses really angers me.

Not to mention physical distancing. Many times, I chanced upon people disobeying the 1m physical distancing rule when they were immersed in deep conversations with their friends and peers.

More often than not, they get so comfortable with one another and tend to remove their face masks. How can the cases drop if people are not taking this seriously?

So, are we ready to embrace the new norm when we return to the field? I believe the only answer is, we are ready if we know how to reduce harm.

Just like when driving on the road, one can reduce harm by fastening seat belts, driving within the speed limit and turning on the headlights at night.

So, the only way to protect ourselves and our family members is to ensure that we practise a high level of safety measures such as using a face mask, maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowded places.

At the very least, all of us need to be fully vaccinated to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection. Only then, will we be ready.

Vanessa

Kuala Lumpur


The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times

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