LIKE the GE14 vote, Malaysians have no choice but to decide for themselves the next steps as the Covid-19 outbreak spreads with 190 new cases today, bringing the total to 428.

The spike has been in double digit percentages since March 8, and today’s jump is the highest ever – pushing Malaysia to the top by number of positive infections in Southeast Asia.

While the Muhyiddin administration has banned all mass gatherings until April 30, it has left it to religious leaders to decide on weekly and daily mass prayer attendance. 

It has also left it to businesses to decide whether to close or curtail entrance to their establishments, or even to ask employees to work from home or take paid or unpaid leave.

All these efforts are really to flatten the Covid-19 curve, for medical services to get enough personnel and supplies to contend with the outbreak that has now engulfed the world.

Here’s the thing – you’re not likely to get Malaysia to impose a lockdown. It has never done so for any other outbreak such as the Nipah virus, SARS, MERS and avian flu H1N1.

That means Malaysians have to decide for themselves to self-isolate, keep a social distance, not travel and expose themselves unnecessarily to the coronavirus responsible for this new flu.

Because if they don’t, we will see more mass gatherings where infections are likely to occur – such as in the case of nearly 300 at the Jemaah Tabligh event at Masjid Jamek Seri Petaling from February 28 to March 1.

The only other religious event in the world with a bigger scale of infections is the Shincheonji church in South Korea which has had 4,780 cases alone as of March 13, or 60% of the total in that country.

Malaysia is a lot more fortunate as some 5,000 of the 16,000 who attended the tabligh gathering have submitted to tests, unlike the secretive South Korean sect.  

That explains the current Malaysian numbers but it is still worrying nonetheless that the government has not announced further restrictions for such religious mass gatherings. 

The only restriction for other events is a 50-person limit but that does not extend to cinemas, restaurants and other entertainment places – unlike in Spain and Italy where only supermarkets and pharmacies are allowed to open.

So, again. Don’t wait for the government to order anything else. Take your life and the lives of your loved ones into your own hands – which must be washed as regularly as possible too. 

Isolate yourself, stay at home, don’t go out unless necessary. Malaysia needs to flatten the curve now to allow our brave medical personnel get on with the job of making sure none die from Covid-19 or any other diseases where surgeries have been postponed due to this outbreak.

Malaysians voted for change on May 9, 2018. Now they have to change to avoid the virus that can overwhelm our medical services and economy if left unchecked. – March 15, 2020.

* Jahabar Sadiq runs The Malaysian Insight.