By Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily

There was this video posted on the social media during the early days of coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.

A health screening station was set up at the immigration checkpoint at klia2, along with some thermal scanners.

A passenger took a video of the screening station while passing the checkpoint. There were two staff members on duty at that time, one engrossed with his smartphone and another enjoying a good nap, his face on the table. Neither was putting on a face mask or was aware of the video shooting.

It happened before the Lunar New Year holidays when most people had very little knowledge of the 2019-nCoV outbreak. Those that had any idea only knew it was a new virus, but not its seriousness.

Firstly, the authorities should be given a big thumbs-up for setting up a screening station early enough, but unfortunately it was not put to good use while supervision was lax on the part of the management. As a result, the facility was reduced to a place for an afternoon nap or video games.

Of course, control at airport screening stations has been remarkably stepped up after the viral outbreak has picked up in intensity and drawn global attention. Nevertheless, we are not sure the negligence during the early days could have given the virus an easy access into Malaysia, and whether frontline personnel at our airports are competent enough to keep the deadly virus at bay.

The video has raised my doubts over the country's attitude and capability in tackling any form of crisis or emergency.

As a matter of fact, Malaysia's ability in crisis management is never a subject of pride. Just think about the hundreds killed by the Nipah virus and 78 by H1N1. No doubt, viruses are terrifying, but negligence, misjudgment and lax enforcement are equally, if not more, dreadful.

And this problem is not just about the airport. For example, at least two people possibly carrying the virus had been able to escape from the hospital after they had been suspected of being infected with the coronavirus. They later argued that they did not intentionally run away from the hospital but they were not briefed by the hospital staff of their conditions nor instructed to stay back.

It doesn't matter who is right or wrong now, but along the way, these two people could have infected other patients at the hospital or innocent people on the road or public transport, not to mention their family members.

I'm not underestimating the ability of our health ministry or hospital authorities, but our experiences in tackling a major disaster or crisis tell us that there are always lapses in the details, especially where work attitude is concerned.

The same negligence prevailed when Chinese nationals confirmed to have been infected in Singapore were able to cross the border into Malaysia. We might have fewer cases if these people were stopped at the checkpoint.

Meanwhile, even though the government has been put on high alert over the outbreak, many policies remain ambiguous or even contradictory. For example, the government's attitude is vague over whether large-scale rallies and events should go ahead as scheduled. While they have advised the public to postpone major functions, they give the green light for theThaipusam celebration at Batu Caves. In addition, they haven't come out with a conclusive directive whether members of the public must put on face masks in crowded places.

We are lucky the 2019 novel coronavirus has not spread so badly here as in some other countries, but I'm afraid we will consume all our luck if we don't take things seriously enough.