KOTA KINABALU: The time has come for the people to
shoulder the responsibility of being "frontliners" in the fight
against COVID-19, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.
He
said this meant that the people had to take greater responsibility through
their own actions to get Malaysia declared free of the coronavirus according to
the six criteria set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"Personnel
of the Health Ministry (MOH), National Security Council, police, Rela, army and
several other agencies which have been in the frontline of the battle can now
divert (part of) this responsibility to the people.
"As
such, the people need to fully abide by the standard operating procedure (SOP)
set under the new normal so that we can return to our normal way of life,"
he told reporters after making a courtesy call on Sabah Chief Minister Datuk
Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal here today.
He
reminded the people to adhere to all the guidelines given by the authorities,
including avoiding crowded and confined places and refraining from getting too
close to people when talking.
"We
should also wash hands with soap and water regularly, wear masks in public
places and heed reminders from MOH," he added.
Dr
Adham said the reopening of schools on July 15 would be a big test in the fight
against the coronavirus.
"We
do not want a school cluster to emerge. Therefore, adherence to the guidelines
under the new normal is important, apart from the monitoring of compliance with
SOP," he said.
Asked
on the courtesy call, he said it was to update the chief minister on the
COVID-19 situation in the country.
"The
Sabah chief minister appreciates the need to stop the spread of COVID-19; he is
very proactive," he said.
-- BERNAMA
