THERE has been so much confusion among the authorities on what to do with movement control order (MCO) violators in that some are saying locking them up is not suitable, while others are saying punish them later after the MCO is lifted.

We must first understand that all regulations passed to curb this Covid-19 pandemic are issued pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.

The title says it all. It’s for prevention and control. That is the purpose and object of the act.

Let us briefly deal with control first. Regulations made for ‘control’ under the act relate to measures taken to control existing cases of infectious disease.

These would include identifying areas that have cases of this infectious disease, quarantine measures and isolation of existing patients.

Then you have regulations regarding the ‘prevention’ aspect of the act. Prevention means exactly what it is supposed to mean: prevention.

It relates to measures taken to stop the spreading of this infectious disease. That is the ultimate aim: to stop the spread.

This is where the assistance of the police and the army are of utmost importance.

This is also where the control of movement comes into play. We must understand that control of movement is a preventive measure.

In other words, the control of movement has the ultimate aim of stopping the spreading of this infectious disease.

We can see now the dual role played by our frontliners. One, usually doctors and nurses, having to control the existing cases of patients with the infectious disease.

The second, the police and army restricting movement to prevent the infectious disease from spreading.

However, the regulations must be made to reflect the powers of the police and army to do what is necessary to stop the spreading.

Therefore, the ultimate purpose in the minds of our police and army should be to stop the spreading.

One way is to ensure people adhere to the distance rule when doing their purchase of essentials.

Yes, the red or yellow lines are there and we have to obey.

Have more police and army at these places. Sometimes we need the police and army to scare the daylights out of people to obey simple instructions.

The other way , in my humblest of opinion, should be on emphasising dispersing people who congregate. This must be main measure of prevention.

It should not be the case where the police or army arrest violators of the MCO and congregate them with other criminals, when the very purpose of the MCO is to prevent congregation.

People, out of sheer stupidity, still defy the MCO. Unfortunately, arresting them will not solve the problem.

It would only create another possible cluster elsewhere, and then we would be going in circles indefinitely.

While not suggesting the rotan specifically, some form of stricter measure to disperse is needed. Well, maybe the rotan might just do the trick.

Finally, those calling the shots and making decisions have to stop being so nice to people who are congregating in the name of religion. This is not a time to congregate. Period.

Also, stop making flippant remarks when it comes to this pasar tani and such. It is a disaster waiting to happen.

If the prevention measures by the government are weak, it would only add to the burden of the doctors who are doing their best to control the existing cases.

Regulations for prevention of an infectious disease must be in harmony with that of control of that very same infectious disease.

The better the prevention measures the easier it becomes to control.

* Puthan Perumal reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.