ROAD TO RECOVERY

MALAYSIA’S ECONOMY CAN ONLY IMPROVE IF THE VACCINATION PROGRAM ACHIEVES ITS TARGET

One of the more common questions by individuals, organisations and governments worldwide has been are lockdowns the way to go in a pandemic? While in some countries, it has proven its worth, it has not been the case in every country.

Closer to home, lockdowns were deemed necessary and while the first Movement Control Order proved to be effective, with the cost of severely impacting livelihoods and the economy, it did not last for long. Fast forward to June 2021, Malaysians have gone through multiple MCOs with cases having reached new peaks day after day,

The most recent MCO 3.0 had been extended for another six weeks, only set to end on June 28. However, the end of this MCO is also most likely to depend on the number of cases.

According to the SME Association of Malaysia, 50,000 small and medium enterprises may go out of business and the country continues to lose RM1 billion daily throughout the current MCO.

With multiple MCOs having taken place and stringent SOPs being implemented, so why is Malaysia battling the pandemic without any consistent improvements a year and a half later?

Kevin Zhang, Research Officer at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute in reference to Tomas Pueyo’s “hammer” and “dance” theory says strict lockdown measures should not be seen as a viable long-term strategy.

In his commentary on Channel News Asia. Zhang says apart from employing the “hammer” and “dance” method, it is increasingly clear that the Malaysian government should be complemented with a “shield” in the form of vaccines, as lockdowns and quarantines can only do so much.