Mahathir: Infections may reach 5000 daily

Former two times PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad warns the infection rate of COVID-19 pandemic may reach 5000 daily in Malaysia.

In a special statement on Facebook today (May 10) on the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia, the ex-PM says the situation is going out of control. He also says the country did very well in containing the pandemic in early 2020 but the same is not happening now.

Starting his statement with a scary picture, he says one person can infect 2000 people and this resulted in the death of 20.

Nevertheless, he says the Bazar Ramadan has also contributed to the rise in infections. He says the reason for this is the people did not follow the SOP and the social distancing.

“When we pray in Masjids, we respect the one meter distance. But when we finish praying, we are not respecting the distance. People tend to stay too close to each other while walking. We should respect the distance.

“At the Bazar Ramadan, we are also not respecting the distancing. We should stay away from each other. This is the way it should be. That way, there is little chance to infect or get infected,” he says.

He also urged those who did not get their vaccines to do so because it is a form of protection for the individual in this state of COVID-19 emergency.

Mahathir says Malaysia risk becoming like India or Brazil where 100,000’s are getting infected.

“I beg the people of Malaysia. People of all walks of life. Its not about party or community or race. We all have to follow the rules.

“We can also make more use of the online facilities to buy food. This will help reduce the risk of infections. We should all reduce the ‘Jalan Raya’ this year. Be patient and in this month, despite Raya, we should make sacrifices to accept the situation. Don’t risk getting infected,” he says.

He also blamed the Sabah elections for the current situation in the country, calling for the respect of SOP’s during Bazar Ramadan and the mixing of crowds.