“Don’t cause panic” — Tourism minister urges Health Ministry to review approach to sharing Covid-19 info

Dato Sri Tiong King Sing

KUCHING, Dec 25: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing has called on the Health Ministry (MOH) to review its approach in disseminating information on the Covid-19 situation which could cause unnecessary fear among the public and negative perceptions among foreign tourists.

While the public health issue cannot be swept under the carpet, he said, the ministry could take better action in addressing it by not reporting infection cases every day that could cause panic.

“For example, the announcement about the Covid-19 situation in Malaysia by our Health Minister (Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad) is almost the same as the statement made by the Indonesian Health Minister.

“However, the Indonesian Minister stressed that the situation for Christmas and New Year’s season is not too worrying, in contrast to the announcement in Malaysia which is seen to cause public anxiety.

“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 country Indonesia, further causing economic losses to Malaysia,” he said in a statement uploaded on his Facebook page yesterday (Dec 24).

He also claimed that a few foreign tourist operators have cancelled their travelling schedule to Malaysia following concerns on the Covid-19 situation 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 exaggerate and mislead the public that the epidemic in Malaysia is very serious.

“Following this, I will raise this issue in the Federal Cabinet to find a balanced solution to ensure that the epidemic is under control without affecting the tourism sector,” he added. — DayakDaily