‘Tell us your intended targets, exit strategy after deciding not to adopt MCO’

KUCHING: Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii has urged the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to make clear its intended targets and exit strategy after its decision not to adopt the Movement Control Order (MCO) in favour of an enhanced Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).

He said the SDMC must also make clear what they expect to achieve when the period ends on May 17.

“While I am supportive of Sarawak having the autonomy to make decisions and craft required SOP based on local context and needs, but decisions must be based on science and data rather than any political considerations.

“That is why, it is also important for the public to know exactly what SDMC is trying to achieve in adopting such a strategy rather than a full MCO, especially in areas where there is high infectivity rate, high numbers, and the healthcare system especially intensive care units (ICU) beds are full,” he said in a press statement.

Yii said he was concerned by the recent statement by State Health director Dr Chin Zin Hing that the usage of ICU in government hospitals in Sarawak has reached a critical level following the surge of Covid-19 cases in the state.

“I was made aware that supplies of PPE in certain hospitals are also at a critical level.

“Which means, if effective interventions are not done, our healthcare system especially in main outbreak areas may be overrun especially with the detection of the different variants in Sarawak.

“With high cases and low vaccination rate in Sarawak, we also do not want to provide a conducive environment for the virus to mutate even more, making it more infective and harder to control,” he said.

That should be the more reason for the state government to be transparent in the reasoning for their strategy and expected outcomes to be accountable to the public, he stressed.

“What are the target number of cases, infective rate, hospital occupancy among others when this CMCO ends on May 17? If it does not achieve its intended target, what are the government’s plans?

“Will there be a strict lockdown in outbreak areas for a short period of time to really serve as an effective ‘circuitbreaker’, then open again to allow business into some form of normalcy?”

Yii said the main question people are asking is that such enhanced CMCO has already been implemented in Sibu and Bintulu since mid-April and it has been almost a month since the implementation of those set SOP, yet the number of cases in those areas does not seem to be coming down as expected.

“So, are we trying to do the same thing but expecting different results? While it is a tough decision to balance between health and economic considerations, but if we do not get the health side under control, the economy will continue to suffer,” he said.

Even so, Yii said, the government must look at providing financial assistance to industries that are severely affected by this enhanced SOP including the food and beverage hawkers.

Since businesses have dropped significantly for them, he said the government should look at extending financial assistance to help them through this tough time.

More importantly, he said the government must have a clear and comprehensive exit strategy for all businesses after this, including how to help the economy stagger to normalcy while ensuring the local community is safe and protected.

“As we cannot keep on implementing MCO or strict CMCO all the time, the government must be better prepared in planning and communication on this exit strategy in order for a smooth transition towards a resumption of business operations postMCO.”

Yii said there must be continued engagement between the relevant ministries with all stakeholders to sort out the necessary arrangements and even allowing the type of businesses to resume operations by phases as it allows the companies/industries to get ready and prepare the SOP.

This requires a decisive, clear and scientific leadership from the government to give better assurance to the people in these difficult times, he added.

“The government must learn from their mistakes, as businesses and public are suffering more from the flipflops, inconsistencies, and lastminute announcements rather than the MCO/CMCO itself.

“If it was thoughtfully planned, announced, and executed in first place, we won’t be in such a difficult position,” he said.