THE time is right for the Covid-19 mask mandate to be removed in view of positive health indicators, health experts said.

Taking into account that Malaysia entered the transition to endemic stage five months ago and businesses and international travel have resumed with no influx of cases, this is a positive sign that indoor masking can end.

However, they cautioned, if the mandate is removed, the elderly and sick should still practise wearing them, especially in crowded places.

Mask-wearing in health facilities should remain, they said.

Public health expert Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said masks should be made optional.

“It is time for the Health Ministry to review this policy and make it optional to the public, except under certain circumstances,” Zainal told The Malaysian Insight.

He said the public have come to care less about Covid-19 as many have either contracted the virus or have been vaccinated and boosted.

Universiti Putra Malaysia epidemiologist and public health expert Dr Malina Osman also agreed it is safe to remove masks indoors.

“As we are aware, we have started an endemic transition since five months ago. International borders started to open on May 1,” she said.

“Standard operating procedure (SOP) related to pandemic prevention and control have been eased, and there is no more mandatory quarantine for travellers.

“Throughout the period, the majority of the community did not comply fully with the SOP.

“Despite those conditions, all pandemic indicators are on a downward trend.

Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said removal of the mandate may not lead to an influx of Covid-19 cases.

“If we scrap it now, I don’t think we will see an influx of cases,” Lee said.

“The initial surge has gone and now it is under control even though there is hardly any SOP (compliance), unless a new variant emerges, or later if ever vaccine effects wear off.”

He said however masks must continue to be worn in medical facilities and by those with illnesses.

Yesterday, Malaysia logged 2,328 new Covid-19 cases and nine deaths.

A large part of the Covid-19 SOP has been scrapped in recent months, including outdoor masking.

Moy Foong Ming of University of Malaya’s Social and Preventive Medicine Department however said the move may be premature.

“We should not remove the mask mandate until more than 80% of the elderly are at least boosted with one dose,” Moy said.

According to the CovidNow website, only 71.1% of those aged 60 and above have received one booster dose, while only 5% have received their second booster shot.

Moy said protecting this group of the population is important as they are the most vulnerable.

“Death happens predominantly among those aged 60 and above, and death by vaccination status was highest among the unvaccinated, followed by those who took two doses, and lowest among those boosted.

“Based on this, it seems like the elderly and high-risk groups are more affected if the mask mandate is removed.

“The government should target this group so that they are well protected when the mask mandate is removed.”

Moy said despite the fact that daily cases have been trending below 3,000 for several weeks, the positivity rate is 7.7%, meaning that there is underreporting of cases.

The positivity rate indicates the portion of Covid-19 cases detected out of all tests conducted.

Higher positivity rates mean more testing should be done, as it suggests there are more people with the disease in the community who have not been detected.

The threshold set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for adequate testing is a 5% positivity rate.

Moy said the Health Ministry must also shore up Covid-19 monitoring and implement contingencies.

The public must also be educated on when to wear a mask should the mandate be removed, she said.

“It is very crucial that when the mask mandate is removed, our people are well educated on what they should or should not do; and be highly socially responsible when they are infected, even if they are with mild symptoms,” Moy said.

“This is especially when there is a surge in cases, increased in hospitalisation or death, which could be due to waning of vaccination (effects) or new virus variants.”

This includes reporting to MySejahtera, self-isolating and wearing masks when they have flu-like symptoms, she said.

“The reason is that their viral load may be low and the test kits may not detect the virus in the first few days.“

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he will make a decision in the next few days on whether wearing masks indoors will still be required.

This comes after the Malaysian Medical Association released a statement recommending the government review current regulations on the use of face masks in enclosed spaces. – September 4, 2022.