Don T Create Undue Alarm Over Covid 19 Tiong Tells Health Minister

---

Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing today reprimanded his colleague, Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, for causing public alarm over the Covid-19 situation in the country.
This comes after Dzulkefly held a special press conference last week to speak about rising cases of the coronavirus, which Tiong claimed had affected Malaysia’s tourism and economy.
In a statement, Tiong called for the health minister to be more careful in disseminating information about Covid-19 so it will not create unnecessary public concern and spook the people.
“Covid-19 is undeniably an important public health issue that should not be swept under the carpet. However, we should not act excessively to the extent that it worsens the situation.
“It is important for us to avoid causing fear and creating a negative perception of Malaysia, especially when it affects our tourism industry which in turn will also cause losses to our economy.
“I am making this plea based on complaints and concerns voiced by the public and tourism industry players. We need to take a more realistic approach by comparing the situation we have today with what we had to deal with during the start of the pandemic,” he said.
“It would be good if we do not create unnecessary panic, like reporting the number of new infections daily, because this will indirectly spark unnecessary fear,” Tiong added.
Urging Dzulkefly to consider Covid-19 effects on Malaysia’s economy, the tourism minister also compared the former with how Indonesia’s health minister had handled the situation.
Lockdowns not considered for now
According to Tiong, while the Indonesian health minister had issued statements regarding the coronavirus, he had made it clear that the pandemic situation for upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations is not at an alarming level.
“Comparing the statements made by the respective countries, it can create a perception that the situation in Malaysia is worse than in Indonesia.
“This can cause tourists to avoid Malaysia and instead choose to go to Indonesia.”
Health Minister Dzulkefly AhmadOn Dec 18, Dzulkefly, who had just returned to the office following a recent cabinet reshuffle, held a press conference where he cautioned the public about the sharp increase of Covid-19 cases in the country.
During the conference, he also addressed concerns raised on social media on whether or not there would be another lockdown - stressing that the government is not considering such a measure for now. - Mkini

---