KUALA KANGSAR, 18 July 2020:
The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry is expected to announce on the new price for face masks soon.
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba today said the new price is likely to take effect from Aug 10, adding that the ceiling price for face masks is currently still fixed at RM1.50 a piece.
He said this when asked if efforts are being made to alleviate the burden of parents who have to provide face masks for their children when going to school every day.
Dr Adham said the use of face mask is not compulsory in schools because to prevent a second wave of Covid-19 outbreak the priority is to maintain social distance.
The Health Ministry is actively implementing the ‘Avoid Close Contact’ campaign, as a step to prevent a second wave of Covid-19 outbreak in the country, Dr Adham said.
He said it was necessary to educate the public to avoid talking while standing close to each other, as small water droplets are released into the air and could land onto others as far as one metre away.
“Currently the second wave of Covid-19 transmission happening around the world is primarily due to close contacts,” he told a press conference at the handing over of the Kuala Kangsar Health Clinic (Type 3) project here today.
Apart from that, he said, refusal of Covid-19 patients’ close contacts to undergo screening and ignorance of those returning from abroad that they have been infected, were among other factors giving rise to the second wave of the pandemic in the country, but he did not elaborate further.
Dr Adham said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is scheduled to launch the Cegah dan Didik, Amal, Patuh dan Pantau (Prevent and Educate, Charity, Comply and Monitor) or CAPP campaign in Pagoh, Johor on Aug 8, to educate the public to be more responsible in protecting themselves, their family and local community from Covid-19 transmission.
He said the campaign is to strengthen the Covid-19 District Risk Reduction Programme aimed to protect green districts to remain free from the pandemic and to convert the yellow districts to green districts within 14 days.
– Bernama