MCO 2.0 should have been tool of last resort, says ex-deputy defence minister

[superadmin]

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — The current movement control order (MCO) would not have to be implemented if the Health Ministry (MOH) had properly conducted Covid-19 tracing and screening as far back as April last year, according to deputy defence minister Liew Chin Tong.

The DAP senator said a whole-of-government approach from the start, rather than one that placed the burden solely on the MOH, would have prevented the current high number of infections in the country.

“To put it into context, it doesn’t inspire confidence if halfway into a war, the army general (in this case, the Health DG) complained to the media that the air force (the other health institutions/labs) has forgotten to provide for air cover,” Liew said on his Facebook page today.

He was referring to Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah’s recent statement that MOH labs have nearly reached their maximum capacity of 76,000 Covid-19 tests daily, even as there is a need to increase screening to between 150,000 to 200,000 tests daily.


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