Rm1 000 Won T Scare Them

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THE government is considering whether to go with a fine or jail time for those refusing to put on their masks in public places, said health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah on Tuesday.

Wow! That's sounds a bit harsh, right?

However, come to think about it, it should serve as a reminder to those who take this Covid-19 for granted. We have learnt a good lesson from some countries which saw the pandemic cases on the rise again after their respective strict control measures, including the Movement Control Order (MCO) was relaxed.

India, which use a 'painful' measures by giving authority to the police and army to whack anybody on the streets who refused to use the masks, is now recording the highest fatality, more than the US and Brazil. Singapore, which initially told its citizens with only flu and cough to wear face masks has seen the new infection case spiraling.

And in Indonesia where it is not easy to manage its about 7,000 islands, still finds it difficult to control those flouting the health law.

So, I second Dr Hisham's motion. A RM1,000 fine is not sufficient in deterring those arrogant and stubborn, it should be raised to at least RM20,000 or 6-month jail or both.

We are shock to see a viralled video a few days ago on how a woman with Covid-19 wristband flouted the quarantine at home order by enjoying her meal at a mamak restaurant. We are also perturbed with news of new cases everywhere in the country.

The growing number of infections was worrying, as the number of new Covid-19 cases hit double digits for the third straight day on Tuesday (July 21). There were 15 cases on Tuesday with 11 of them being local transmissions.


If the wearing of a face mask is made mandatory in public places under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act, those flouting the law could either be fined RM1,000 (S$324) or put in jail but I think the fine quantum is not enough to scare them.The Health Ministry is encouraging the use of face masks, especially in public places, high-risk places or places where social distancing of one metre apart is hard to enforce. The government has currently not made it mandatory because "once we make it mandatory under the Act, we would have to consider the punishment."Why not if it is meant to protect us and put off the pandemic? I believe most Malaysians will agree to a stiffer penalty.The ministry's recommendation is for all of us to put on face masks, which could reduce the risk of infection by 65 per cent as well as social distancing. It will also reduce transmission by up to 70 per cent.Is that so difficult

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