THE conditional movement control order (CMCO) in Kedah, Terengganu and Johor could be lifted if these states see an improvement in Covid-19 numbers within the next two weeks, said director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

According to Noor Hisham, the government will consider a recovery movement control order (RMCO) in these states if the situation progresses well enough.

The near blanket CMCO was introduced in all states except Kelantan, Perlis and Pahang last month.

Noor Hisham said it is important to protect the green zone states, and ensure that those entering these areas from the red zones are screened and tested to ensure they are free of infection.

“We have to limit the public from crossing districts or crossing states. If we can control that, then we can prevent the spread of infections to green zones,” he said.

Noor Hisham said a return to imposing the MCO would have a costly effect on the economy.

He said the CMCO was a better option in striking a balance between health and the economy, especially for Selangor where 40% of the national economy is concentrated.

“So far I think the CMCO is working well but it takes a longer time than the MCO. Perhaps if we implement MCO and put everyone at home we can break the chain of infection.”

Noor Hisham added the CMCO cannot be considered a failure because it has reduced the infectivity rate from 2.2 to about 1.0, due to the reduction of movement. – November 16, 2020.