THE government has decided not to bring back much of the restrictions that were imposed when the movement control order (MCO) was first introduced on March 18, despite the recent spike in Covid-19 cases. As an owner of a small and medium enterprise, as well as a father and son to an aging mum, I am totally in full support of this decision – for now.

Rolling back the freedom we have been granted to stem the rising infection may seem like the logical thing to do. But, when one looks deeper into this issue, it is not as cut and dry as one would imagine. If the government were to ban interstate travel, shutter businesses and schools, the economic fallout would be disastrous.

My humble SME already suffered a massive a dip of around 56% in revenue since March. Within the business community, the general consensus is that we can’t afford another shutdown. If not for the loan moratorium and wage subsidy, many more businesses would have folded for good.

A friend recently related that a business associate of his was practically suicidal, looking at how the business the latter had built up over the decades crumbled under the weight of economic hardship triggered by the pandemic.

There is a need to strike a balance between lives and livelihoods, and I feel the government has walked the thin line rather well. Relying on data-driven strategies rather than knee-jerk reactions, the government has provided a steady hand in managing one of the worst crises we have ever faced in recent times.

Let’s look at the facts: while the number of new cases are high, most were from identifiable locations. For example, of Kedah’s 102 new cases on October 3, 97 were from the Tembok prison cluster.

In Sabah, currently the top Covid-19 hotbed, 100 of the 155 new cases reported on the same day came from contact tracing from four known clusters. Obviously, when active case detection is carried out, more cases will emerge.

This brings to mind Singapore’s experience, where the republic saw a sudden spike in cases, mostly from the living quarters of its foreign workers. Aggressive contact tracing saw more than 57,000 cases reported there to date, despite its smaller population and size, relative to Malaysia’s and supposed superior healthcare system.

The international financial district did not succumb to public pressure demanding stricter restrictions that could hurt the economy more than it has already done. Likewise Malaysia, which has done fairly well to contain the spread of this disease prior to this. We already have a working system in place that, by all indications, is able to handle the sudden rise in cases – at least for now. Our hospital beds for Covid-19 patients are only running at about 25% capacity and we have enough quarantine centres and manpower for the time being.

Besides, the government has imposed enhanced movement control orders (EMCO) in Covid-19 hotspots and will continue to do so. This is a more practical solution and has proven to work in the past. If the Kota Setar district has a high number of cases, the authorities just need to lock down that area and there is no necessity to lock down the whole of Kedah or even the whole country.

I am not writing to say that economic considerations should take precedence over health. I have school-going kids and an aging mum, all of whom are categorised as high risk. No amount money in the world is worth losing your loved ones.

All I am saying is that there is a need to be rational and level-headed in the time of crisis. The government has done fairly well for now, managing not just the pandemic, but the economic fallout. And, until data shows otherwise, let’s support the government in treading this fine line between lives and livelihoods. – October 5, 2020.

* Marcus Chan 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.