Covid-19 CMCO: Klang Valley extension depends on infectivity next week

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 20): More time is needed to determine if the conditional movement control order (CMCO) should be extended, Malaysiakini reported Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (pictured) saying yesterday.

The ministry also needs to know the Covid-19 infectivity -- or its reproduction number (R₀ or R_t) -- before a decision can be made.

Dr Noor Hisham said Covid-19 infectivity in Selangor was higher than Sabah at 1.98, which meant that, on average, each infected individual in the state was passing on the disease to about two more people.

However after about a week since CMCO was enforced in the state, the R_t for Covid-19 in the state currently is about between 1.48 and 1.50

“But we need to do better without changing the strategy of CMCO, (which) allowed the economy sector to function. We need to step up, tighten the social sector such as the sport sector (and) education sector,” Bernama reported Dr Noor Hisham saying.

“So that if they (social sector) can be put on hold for a week or two, then I think we can improve using the strategy of CMCO to bring down the R₀ or bring down the cases,” he said.

He added that the decision to go for CMCO was to strike a right balance between health and economy as well as between life and livelihood.

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