THE Covid-19 quartet ministers’ meeting has agreed the country can move into the endemic phase of Covid-19 but is awaiting approval from Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Senior Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said today.

The quartet’s chairman said the country needs to move forward despite ongoing concerns about the Omicron variant, which so far has been known to cause less severe Covid-19 despite being highly transmissible. 

“The discussion on moving into the endemic phase is settled but when this will be, will be announced by the prime minister,” Hishammuddin said this afternoon after a meeting of the quartet.

“Many are worried about the Omicron but we have to move into the next phase.”

He said enhanced movement-control orders (EMCO) will be used as a tool to curb the spread of the coronavirus, if necessary, but total lockdowns will not be imposed again.

“The Covid-19 situation in the country is under control. ICU (intensive care unit) bed usage is not like before, although new cases have risen in the last few days,” he said. 

“Once we are officially under endemic, the standard operating procedures (SOP) will be reduced and we will outline nine rules and regulations.”

The country is ready for the endemic phase based on several factors that are now in place, he said.

These include the nine rules and one main SOP that are ready; a functioning heightened alert system; a national testing strategy; the test, report, isolate, inform and seek system; the automated find, test, trace, isolate and support system; and the gradual reopening of borders.

On January 11, Hishammuddin said the government had decided to delay plans to move into the endemic phase and would only do so when it had brought under control unexpected issues at the time, namely post-flood relief after the country’s worst flooding episode in December, and the spread of the Omicron variant among people entering the country, including those who went abroad for umrah travel.

Earlier today, the National Recovery Council said it has proposed to the government that borders be reopened fully from as early as March 1, but this, too, is pending approval.

Daily Covid-19 cases have seen a sudden spike in recent days, registering more than 13,000 today, attributed to the more virulent Omicron strain and the resumption of physical school last month and more economic activities. – February 8, 2022.