Sin Chew Daily

The coronavirus outbreak has swept much of the planet and the government has adopted effective measures to put the situation largely under control in Malaysia. Nevertheless, we saw a surge of 14 new cases on Wednesday, and health DG Noor Hisham subsequently declared a second wave of outbreak in the country.

Although things are largely under control at this very moment, it remains important for the government, members of the public and companies to stay highly alert and take the necessary precautions to halt the spread of the virus.

Last week, at the height of the political upheaval, Malaysians focused most of their attention on the latest political developments, and with Muhyiddin Yassin now sworn in as the country's eighth prime minister, it is imperative that the society give more thought on battling coronavirus as political tension here takes a breather.

Earlier reported coronavirus cases have been linked to China, and with the second wave of outbreak now taking shape in Malaysia, we are poised to see a surge in local people-to-people infections. Case 26 alone has so far infected 21 other individuals either through direct or indirect contacts.

As some of the confirmed cases have previously attended conferences and meetings and have come into close contact with a large number of people, we cannot rule out the possibility that more people will be confirmed with the viral infection soon.

Additionally, the Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee confirmed yesterday a member who attended its AGM on February 27 had tested positive for the virus.

The are signs pointing to the phenomenon that COVID-19 will very likely spread in this country, and all parties must stay highly alert while the government should adopt the necessary measures to prevent the virus from spreading in the community. All the country's electronic immigration clearance systems, including the Malaysia Automated Clearance System (MACS), have temporarily ceased operating at immigration checkpoints.

In the meantime, the health ministry is playing a pivotal role in fighting the virus, but due to unexpected political changes in the country, the newly appointed prime minister has yet to announce his new cabinet line-up and we do not have a minister yet to helm the health ministry at the forefront of the battle against the deadly virus.

It is absolutely necessary for the prime minister to appoint a health minister as soon as possible to lead the war against the virus. While we agree that the appointment of cabinet ministers should not be rushed through in order to get the best people to do the job, the appointment of health minister must not be delayed any further given the severity of the situation.

The government aside, members of the public must also be adequately prepared to fend off the infection. Companies, in particular, must be more concerned about the health and right of their employees and must refrain from sending their employees to countries badly hit by the outbreak.

Meanwhile, they must also provide adequate preventive equipment such as face masks to their employees.

As for members of the public, they must avoid visiting crowded places and wash their hands frequently to minimize the risk of infection.

While the war against the virus is led by the government, cooperation from the public is of utmost importance. All parties must work together in unity and all resources and strengths must be pooled together to effectively curtail the spread of the virus and win this tough battle.