PRIME Minister Muhyiddin Yassin reminded the nation to continue complying with standard operating procedures against Covid-19 as he launched the New Normal Culture campaign today.

The campaign, which comes amid an uptick in coronavirus cases and the detection of fresh clusters, aims to increase self-regulation among the people.

“As citizens responsible for breaking the chain of infections, I urge all of you to continue following new normal practices by adhering to Health Ministry guidelines,” Muhyiddin said at the launch in Pagoh, Johor.

He told the public to avoid the “3Cs” – crowded places, confined spaces and close conversation – and frequently wash their hands, wear a mask and heed the authorities’ advice.

Noting the effectiveness of the MySejahtera contact-tracing app, which has seen 6.5 million downloads, he urged those who have yet to install it to do so.

Muhyiddin said the authorities will issue reminders and advice from time to time through the media.

“It is important to disseminate only verified information.”

He called on community leaders, including religious and civil society figures, to help ensure compliance with health and safety measures, saying the public’s increasingly lax attitude has resulted in an increase in infections.

The prime minister cited as an example the Sivagangga cluster, where the index patient violated his home-quarantine order upon returning from India.

“We should all think of ourselves as frontliners. Compliance with the SOPs has to be stepped up. We have to always be careful, to avoid the emergence of new clusters.”

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, meanwhile, said after 144 days of the movement-control order (MCO) and 60 days of the conditional MCO, there has been a rise in the number of people breaching the SOPs.

He concurred with Muhyiddin, saying public negligence has led to a spike in cases.

Because of this, he said, Putrajaya decided to launch the New Normal Culture campaign, which will go on until December 31 or beyond, depending on the situation. – August 8, 2020.