Sin Chew Daily

The coronavirus outbreak continues to expand in Malaysia. The steep 190-case spike on Sunday has sounded the alarm bell, and served to warn the government of the need to take a more resolved and hardline stance in preventing the situation from worsening.

There is absolutely no time to waste now. Any delay will only give the virus a boosted chance to spread in our vulnerable community.

Notably, we have very limited medical resources and if things go out of hand and the number of confirmed cases surges past a specific level, our medical system may not be able to cope and could be on the brink of collapse.

The intensified outbreak has triggered tremendous concerns among medical experts in the country. Some have suggested a complete lockdown while others are talking about sealing off some cities and states. Sealing off the country's borders is a more drastic measure. While some countries such as Italy have already adopted such a measure, due to differences in the intensity of outbreaks, the Malaysian government should consult the public in order to draw up the most optimal solution to tackle the virus.

According to health minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, the country is now entering the late containment stage. As a matter of fact, with the coronavirus outbreak in the country picking up in intensity and the number of confirmed cases rising steadily, the solutions adopted earlier will no longer be sufficient and we urgently need an enhanced version to deal with the deadly virus.

Among the most effective measures include a ban on all gatherings, social distancing and minimizing interpersonal contacts. The Registry of Societies has announced that all organizations registered with RoS will be barred from holding any form of events, meetings or conferences until June 30, which is the right decision to make.

Additionally, some local universities have also announced to cancel or postpone their "face-to-face" teaching and adopt the online teaching mode instead. Such measures should help reduce the risk of viral spread.

Unfortunately, many organizations and members of the public are still unaware of the seriousness of the issue, continuing to take unnecessary risks during such a crucial moment, including organizing or attending large-scale events. Such a foolish act will provide an ideal platform for the virus to spread quickly in our community.

As the number of confirmed cases shot up dramatically, a fishing competition with over 1,500 participants was held in Port Dickson. These participants and spectators unknowingly exposed themselves to tremendous infection risks.

We must not allow ourselves to take chances, thinking that we might not catch the virus by taking part in such activities. There are so far 200 confirmed cases in Malaysia linked to the massive tabligh event at Masjid Seri Petaling in Kuala Lumpur, and this speaks volumes of the tremendous risk in a mass gathering.

While it is imperative for the authorities to take more resolved actions to curtail the spread of coronavirus, members of the public must also stay constantly alert and alter their day-to-day habits to fight the virus.

The entire nation must work together in unity to stop the spread of the coronavirus before the outbreak develops to a stage way beyond our ability to contain.