PETALING JAYA: Should the mandatory mask rule be dropped before Hari Raya in a week’s time as two ministers have suggested?
Both frontliners and former Covid-19 patients say it’s too early to do so.
On Friday, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin was quoted as saying that mask-wearing could be optional after Hari Raya while Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, on the same day, promised an announcement this week, even before Raya, which is expected to fall on May 3.
Khairy also said the government was prepared to remove more Covid-19 restrictions as the pandemic situation in the country had improved.
However, surgeon Dr Timothy Cheng said it might be premature to completely lift the masking rule due to the risk of greater community spread of infections.
“The benefits of wearing a mask far outweigh the cons if a relaxation eventually occurs.
“If it does, however, those who are symptomatic should wear a mask when out, while those without symptoms should continue taking precautions advised by the Health Ministry,” he said.
Assistant medical officer Noorfazlyante Mohd Hussain said masking up should be continued, especially since Malaysia had yet to reach an endemic stage.
“For high-traffic public areas, it might still be too early as it could result in an increasing number of infections.
“Maybe the mask mandate can be lifted for the outdoors but during social events or in crowded areas, regardless of location, masking up should be retained,” she said.
Nurse Siti Rokiah Ab Loh @ Abdullah said the uncertainty of not knowing who could be asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19 warranted the need for masks.
“A mask also protects one from other respiratory-related ailments such as the flu,” she said.
She advised parents who take their children to public areas to ensure both themselves and their children were masked properly, adding that it is best for children to just avoid crowded places all together.
Former Covid-19 patients are also choosing to maintain the practice because they worry about being reinfected.
Wealth planner Lau Wai Lok, 27, said he would still wear a mask even if the rule was relaxed at various locations.
“My work requires a lot of face-to-face interactions and I do not want to take any risk of being reinfected or, worse, infecting others,” he said.
Lau added that removing the mandate should be done gradually and with sufficient scientific evidence in support.
Corporate trainer Mandeep Singh, 26, said contracting the virus previously had made him more cautious.
“Covid-19 poses a risk to our social circle and household members as we may spread the virus to them unknowingly.
“Hence it is our responsibility to keep everyone around us safe and for me, that means to mask up whenever I’m out and about,” he said.
He added that although there had been a significant decrease in the number of cases over the past few weeks, he remains wary of asymptomatic carriers in public.
“My grandmother lives with my family, so we make sure to take all necessary precautions to create a safe environment for her,” he said.
Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the important question to ask was: “Have masks kept most of us safe during this devastating pandemic?”
“We are still within the danger zone, and we have seen how in some other countries, variants have surfaced when people let their guard down.
“We cannot afford to have a repeat situation here, especially as we are beginning to open up our economic sectors, and are in a celebratory mood over Hari Raya.
“Face masks have so far kept us safe, so let’s keep them on, at least for a while longer or until the coast is clear,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/04/25/too-soon-to-stop-mask-use