“DISASTER” is what awaits restaurant and eatery operators with the reinstatement of the movement-control order in six districts in Selangor. 

So goes the claim from the president of the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association. It was issued hours after the federal government announced the move for the state, which has been on top of the chart for the highest daily positive Covid-19 cases in the past many weeks.

Nothing is worse than uncertainty for businesses, which means disruptions in their operations and financial standing. Every Malaysian knows that but safety comes first. 

For safety of our loved ones, ourselves and all others, we should all, by now, try to accept the reality that the Covid-19 crisis is going nowhere and getting meaner.

We have lost more than 1,500 lives since the outbreak of the pandemic early last year, not to mention the number of those infected. Yesterday alone, Malaysia logged a total of 3,120 cases, with Selangor reporting the most infections at 675.

With the national tally standing at more than 420,000 and more than 30,000 active cases thus far, the situation is worrying. 

Indeed, we are left with no options but to let the government, through the relevant ministries and agencies as well as the private sector, to impose and carry out whatever that needs to be done so that we can pull through these tough, difficult times, together.

In Selangor’s case, even the menteri besar finally admitted that the MCO is the best option to counter the spikes in infections in the state. 

The almost full capacity of several hospitals following Covid-19 patients’ admissions reported in the state, reinforces the needs for its imposition. So, for Jawahar Ali Taib Khan to say that the move would spell disaster for businesses which are on the cusp of a recovery is misguided.

Another claim by Restaurant, Bar and Entertainment Entrepreneurs pro tem Datuk Sivakumaran Nair that another round of MCO “is inconsiderate to us” and that “we have not contributed to a single cluster” is unjustified.

It is downright insulting and unbecoming to our front-liners and others battling it out 24/7 to treat the endless stream of Covid-19 patients. 

We have been grappling with the pandemic for more than a year and what the government has done and is doing to mitigate it should be lauded and accepted, not jeered at or condemned. Any increase in infections will only pave the way for the outbreak of new variants. – May 5, 2021.

* Anita Ahmad 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.