Packed pubs, disorder at restaurants and food courts, and people brushing up against each other during an ongoing pandemic – what could possibly go wrong?
Pubs and massage parlours have reopened illegally, and in a few watering holes the foreign dolls are back.
Social distancing is in tatters. People are rashly putting their lives at risk as well as that of others they interact with.
Few wear face masks. Then, there is the selfish behaviour of some people who insist on entering a busy place without wearing a mask.
Case in point is a businesswoman who recently blasted mall security guards in Cheras for not giving free masks and denying her unmasked younger sister from entering a furniture outlet.
We have no idea if foreign cooks and servers have taken coronavirus tests.
Some in the kitchen and on the floor do not wear face masks or wear them below the nose or chin.
Children run around supermarkets, malls, restaurants and fast food outlets unmasked.
Year One to Four pupils who resume classes on Wednesday might go to school without face masks as it is not compulsory.
Registration books and QR codes meant for contact tracing at most places are practically unused.
Temperature taking is hardly done. Hand sanitiser has given way to soapy water in some establishments.
I wish I were exaggerating but the findings emerged in a two-week exercise by this columnist on social responsibility in crowded areas.
Complacency has set in and one cannot help but fear that such behaviour may negate the gains made since March 18 when the movement control order (MCO) came into force.
It’s back to pre-Covid-19 days.
Take the revelry at the Noize KL dance and nightclub on Jalan Yap Kwan Seng where 249 people were detained for various offences including MCO violations early Sunday.
The joint was packed and many showed no regard for social distancing when city police raided it at 1.15am. It did not have an entertainment licence.
Police issued compound notices of RM1,000 each to the MCO violators – 182 men and 67 women, aged between 20 and 40 who probably haven’t heard of the coronavirus.
The merrymakers included 10 Bangladeshis and one Indian national (all men) and three women, Belarusian (two) and a Bangladeshi, all of whom are also being investigated for immigration offences.
The raid came in the wake of the Brickfields restaurant cluster in Kuala Lumpur which has raised worries about eating out.
As of yesterday, 250 people comprising 14 workers and 236 customers had their samples taken. Two tested positive for the disease and the source of infection is being investigated.
The chaos that has broken out in KL nightlife does not augur well for the reopening of pubs and live entertainment.
Rogue pubs are heaving with crowds while others entice customers with live entertainment even before the government has given the green light to do so.
Since the coronavirus infiltrated the entertainment industry, the responsible stakeholders have soldiered on through the pandemic.
They accepted that bars are one of the worst environments for the spread of Covid-19 and that free-flowing alcohol reduces inhibitions.
They are aware of the spread of aerosolised virus particles that could happen when one sings loudly or when people might have to shout over loud music to be heard.
We know the disease can easily spread when people congregate for long periods of time, like inside a bar.
Understandably, publicans, who were starved of income while in some cases still paying lofty overheads, want to get back to full operation.
Anger and frustration are not the answer. Neither is hitting patrons with hiked prices for drinks and food to make up for lost business. Patience is.
To breathe life back into flagging public discipline, the health ministry is intensifying its “Avoid Close Contact” campaign as a measure to prevent a second wave of Covid-19 infections in the country.
Health Minister Dr Adham Baba 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 on others as far as one metre away.
He cautioned that the second wave of Covid-19 transmission around the world is primarily due to close contact.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is to launch the “Prevent and Educate, Charity, Comply and Monitor” campaign in Pagoh, Johor, on Aug 8 to educate the public to be more responsible about protecting themselves, their family and local community from Covid-19 spread.
We are not free of Covid-19 by a long shot. We should not undo our hard work in wrestling down the infection rate.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
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