Covid-19: ‘Realistic’ approach needed to avoid unnecessary fear, says Tiong

SIBU (Dec 24): The Health Ministry (MoH) should exercise caution when providing information on Covid-19 so as not to trigger unnecessary fear among the public, said Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.

The Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister said in order to balance the recovery of the tourism industry and the country’s economy, every step in the prevention and control of Covid-19 must be thoroughly discussed, with its effects backed up by proper research and study.

He pointed out that any hasty action can affect stakeholders and be exploited by opportunistic individuals, thus affecting the country’s economy.

“I am making this appeal based on the concerns and complaints expressed by both the tourism industry and the public.

“We need to take a realistic approach, taking into account the difference between the current situation and the situation that happened before when the epidemic started to spread.

“We need to see how other countries are handling the outbreak and note the cautious approach they are taking,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Tiong said while he supports the measures taken by the MoH to raise awareness on Covid-19 and intensify preventive efforts, it should not be at a level that creates an atmosphere of panic among the people.

“There is no denying that Covid-19 is an important public health issue that cannot be swept under the carpet. However, we should not act excessively so as to cause the situation to worsen.

“It is important for us to avoid creating fear and giving a negative perception of Malaysia, especially the tourism sector, which could affect the national economy,” he said.

Tiong also pointed to observations by health experts that the much-talked about JN.1 variant, while more contagious than other strains, is unlikely to cause more severe symptoms.

He said the announcement on the Covid-19 situation in the country by Malaysia’s Health Minister was similar to that of his Indonesian counterpart, with the exception that the latter had stressed that the situation for the Christmas and New Year period in Indonesia was not too worrying.

“Comparing the statements of the health ministers of the two countries easily creates the impression that Malaysia is much more dangerous than Indonesia.

“This may cause tourists to avoid visiting Malaysia and choose neighbouring Indonesia, further causing economic losses to Malaysia,” said Tiong.

Additionally, Tiong said he had been informed that some foreign tour operators had cancelled itineraries to Malaysia due to growing concerns about Covid-19 in the country.

“But in fact, many places around the world have been affected by the latest wave of this pandemic with a corresponding surge in cases. Therefore, there is no need to overreact and mislead the public that the epidemic in Malaysia is rather serious.”

In this regard, Tiong said he would raise the matter in the Cabinet meeting towards finding a balanced solution whereby the country’s Covid-19 situation is kept under control without affecting the tourism industry.