AN estimated 200,000 managed to bypass police roadblocks for Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The interstate travel restrictions were already in place but they still succeeded in returning to their kampung. How could this be?

And what was there to regret if their family members or relatives died of Covid-19 or clusters formed? Would they be remorseful? I doubt it.

The government, via the relevant ministries and agencies, have pushed forward endless reminders, taken tighter steps, and launched a vaccination programme nationwide, but, I guess, to those who managed to balik kampung recently, lives really don’t matter.

Some dishonest people must have felt proud that they managed to make it, without any regard for the safety of their loved ones. How pathetic could they be? And because of their pathetic behaviour and actions, plus selfishness, they should be partly blamed for the present surge and the fact that doctors and other front-liners are forced to make tough calls over which patients should be given beds in the intensive care units (ICU).

Don’t they have an inch of biblical wisdom and understanding of the whole pandemic situation in the country? Don’t they have empathy for others who lost their loved ones due to Covid-19? Almost all districts are now categorised as red zones. Hulu Terengganu, for instance, became a red zone in the blink of an eye due to Hari Raya SOP violations.

It is now more than two weeks since Hari Raya and, according to the health director-general, some 26 new community clusters linked to Hari Raya celebrations were identified involving several states, with more than 4,000 people screened and more than 1,000 tested positive. Of course, we are all alarmed by the spike in interstate clusters.

Maybe the time has come for the relevant authorities to take sterner action against those who fail to comply with the standard operating procedure and other measures imposed to fight the pandemic.

Maybe the government should review the stiffer penalties for offenders to include jail time to jolt some big-headed and stuck-up members of the public. Similar action should be taken against anti-vaccine groups for inciting people against Covid-19 inoculation.

It is time the authorities consider imposing such action in view of the danger they have caused to the people and the country. They continue throwing caution to the wind and for that, they should be penalised.

The same goes for those who registered for the national Covid-19 immunisation programme but failed to show up for their appointments. Millions have signed up and couldn’t wait to get the jabs but, there they are, with an attitude that will only slow down and derail the programme. Their actions are simply incomprehensible.

We are in a difficult situation and as such, we must make sacrifices for the sake of ourselves, our loved ones and our country. When the outbreak started early last year, we were all afraid of the virus and obeyed the government’s directive to stay at home, along with the imposition of MCO 1.0.

Almost all citizens obeyed and violations of the SOP were minimal but, over time, when almost all economic sectors were reopened and even social activities were allowed, we have become complacent.

Things look grim for now but all is not lost. We must prove that we can do it again, starting with the two-week total lockdown tomorrow.

Of course, things will never be the same again but we must try our level best to return our lives to some semblance of normalcy. Our behaviour is our first line of defence, and it will always be. With the non-stop and intensified efforts to curb infections, there is still a great chance to win this battle and save our economy. – May 31, 2021.

* Mohd Azamuddin Annuar reads The Malaysian Insight.