KUCHING: The sudden spike in number of Covid-19 cases nationwide after the Sabah state polls has sparked concern amongst the public here.
While it can be seen that the number of cases are rising steadily as of late, many believe that the situation would be under control in no time following the stepping up of the standard operating procedure (SOP) guidelines issued by the Health Ministry to curb the spread of Covid-19, especially in Sabah.
New Sarawak Tribune yesterday (Oct 3) reached out to members of the public here and found that most were disappointed by the lacklustre in early intervention by relevant parties in preventing the recent outbreak, while some were certain that the Sabah state polls shouldn’t be held in the first place.
They also expressed disappointment in going back to square one after all the efforts made over the course of a few months throughout the first few phases of the movement control order (MCO).
However, most of the respondents also agree that pointing fingers may not be the way to approach the situation, echoing that it is of utmost importance to abide by the current SOPs and that a targeted MCO may be beneficial to flatten the curve in certain states in Malaysia.
Dayne P Thom, 27, HR officer
“It’s devastating. After a few months of lockdown and recovering, there’s a sudden spike in cases all over the country. As if all of our efforts have been trampled down. As for another MCO, perhaps not to be implemented nationwide. A lot of people’s livelihoods are at stake. Inter-state or inter-district travel restrictions should suffice. The Sarawak government did exactly this back in August when cases surge in Kuching. This is a brilliant example.”
Eliskaleah Livan, 26, IT consultant
“Why did the authorities even allow the election, especially at a time like this? They should have predicted that something like this would happen as these kinds of event involves a lot of crowd coordinations and movements, and chances for the virus to spread is high. It’s just sad to see how these people choose politics over citizens’ health and safety. They should’ve thought of the consequences at the first place. Personally, I dont like the idea of the MCO, no one does. But if it’s the only way that would help flatten the curve, I dont think we have a choice.”
Jerome Japok, 27, retailer
“Based on my observations, this coming wave of Covid-19 is inevitable. No vaccines can cure the ‘ignorance’ of certain people. There is truly no one else to blame but ourselves. People had been so comfortable with the leniency and almost forgot that we are still fighting an invisible enemy. For me, yes, the government should re-impose another stricter MCO once again to reduce the number of cases.”
Polien Uriaset, 24, student
“The spike in number of cases after the Sabah election is definitely worrisome, especially due to the nature of Covid-19 being able to spread so easily. There is no one to blame for this as we can only do our best to prevent it from spreading further at the moment. Seeing how the current situation is, another MCO is definitely needed.”
Nur Hidaya, 24, graduate
“As a Sabahan and resident of Tawau, I believe that the state polls should have been postponed until the curve is flattened. Though we cannot blame anyone for the situation, we can say that the people, especially in Sabah should be more aware of the situation instead of enabling it. Sabah is in desperate need of another MCO and I am sure the government would be able to alleviate the burden of the people should the idea materialise. And I am sure that the frontliners would also agree on this.”
Lin Patrick, 24, kindergarten teacher
“I am very upset of the current situation regarding Covid-19. However, we must not blame anyone for this and put our collective efforts to figure out a way to prevent the spread of Covid-19 here. If the implementation of another MCO could resolve the issue, I don’t see why not as it would be for our own good.”
