PUTRAJAYA, 9 June 2020:
Malaysia is ready to ease restrictions on border control if daily Covid-19 cases recorded continue to be at a single digit during the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) period from tomorrow until Aug 31, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
“If we can continue to record single-digit cases, then it shows we are ready to ease restrictions on border control,” he told a daily media conference on Covid-19 here today.
Dr Noor Hisham said the Ministry of Health (MoH) is now looking into border control as the government was still strengthening the country’s borders.
He said the current Covid-19 infectivity rate was less than 0.3% while daily cases were below MoH’s projection, which showed the public is adhering to standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Dr Noor Hisham said MoH is also planning for an exit strategy and considered this period as a soft landing to enable more sectors to be opened while at the same time make sure Covid-19 stays under control.
Even if the Covid-19 virus remains in the community, he said the infection chain could still be broken without a vaccine if Malaysians adhered to the SOP as well as embraced the 3C of (avoiding) crowded, confined, close (spaces) and 3W (wash, wear, warn).
He said Malaysia is optimistic after a few countries, like New Zealand, managed to eradicate Covid-19 without a vaccine.
“We look back to cases like SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and how we managed to eradicate the two viruses without vaccine. If that (is) possible, we are planning to look forward but it will all depend on the public complying (with) the SOP.”
Dr Noor Hisham said reducing the number of daily Covid-19 cases as well as keeping it at a single digit or even aiming for zero case is not impossible to achieve – if everyone worked as a team.
Meanwhile, he said today’s positive case involving a foreign worker was detected when the person was screened for Covid-19 before starting work.
He suggested that employers could make it a requirement to test and and screen new workers as part of efforts to break the Covid-19 infection chain in the country.
Separately, MoH is advising the public to stop using and buying three cosmetic products that have been found to contain scheduled poison, namely mercury, which can be harmful to health.
Dr Noor Hisham said in a statement the products are Glow Skin White-Brightening Cream, Glow Skin White-Sun Care and Rzac Beauty Creme 2.
He said the products’ notifications had been cancelled and they were no longer allowed to be sold in the country.
“Mercury is prohibited in cosmetics products because it can be harmful to health. It can be absorbed into the body and cause damage to the kidneys and nervous system.
“The substance can also disrupt brain development of young or unborn children and causes rashes, irritation and other changes to the skin.”
As such, sellers and distributors of these cosmetic products are required to immediately stop sales and distribution of these products.
Dr Noor Hisham stressed the sale and distribution of these cosmetic products violated the Control Of Drugs And Cosmetics Regulations 1984.
He said those who violate the regulation could be fined not more than RM25,000 or face a maximum of three years imprisonment, or both, for the first offence and could be fined not more than RM50,000 or a maximum of five years imprisonment, or both, for subsequent offences.
“Companies which commit the offence could be fined up to RM50,000 the first time and RM100,000 for subsequent offences.”
Dr Noor Hisham also advised members of the public who have been using the products to immediately stop and seek advice from health professionals if they experience any discomfort or adverse effects.
Consumers are encouraged to check the notification status of a cosmetic product at the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA)’s offical website www.npra.gov.my or through the ‘NPRA Product Status’ application that can be downloaded at Google Play Store.
– Bernama