KUCHING, May 1 — There is no need for the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) to conduct random checks on businesses and visitors at premises as the country transitions to endemicity, said Dr Koh Kar Chai.
The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president pointed out that only officers of the Ministry of Health (MoH) — and no other agencies — had been empowered to enforce the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).
He said this today in response to KPDNHEP’s recent statement that it would deploy enforcement officers to conduct random checks on businesses and visitors at premises and if anyone’s MySejahtera status was found to be of high risk, action will be taken against them under the Act 342.
“MMA sees no need for such heavy enforcement at this stage as we are in the midst of transitioning into a state of normalcy.
“As the state of emergency which was declared earlier has already been revoked, we understand that enforcement of Act 342 will only be done by the officers of the MoH as no other agencies has been empowered to do so,” said Dr Koh in a statement.
He said this type of strict enforcement was necessary in the early stages before the population was vaccinated and hospitalisations were high.
By now, he said Malaysia had improved significantly in the management of the pandemic.
“Businesses are well aware of the effect Covid-19 can potentially have on businesses and therefore we should trust business owners and the people to take all necessary precautions.
“Such strict enforcement can even be viewed as regressive and will invite resentment from both business owners and the public. We really should be gradually moving away from restrictive policies,” he asserted.
After two years of the pandemic, Dr Koh said the people should by now, know what they should be doing to protect themselves, their families and their income.
“At this current point in time, both monitoring and enforcement activities related to Act 342 should be left in the hands of the MoH.
“As responsible persons, the public is advised to follow prescribed Covid-19 guidelines and practise self discipline to avoid a surge in cases which may then force us to revert back to stringent SOPs that will be detrimental to our economic as well as mental health,” he added. — Borneo Post
