Stop blaming others for Hari Raya under MCO - The Star Online
THE day after tomorrow is Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the most joyous occasion after fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
It is time for us to put on new clothes, to gather for feasts with our friends and families and to ‘balik kampung’ to celebrate with loved ones.
Oh wait…we can’t do that. We are under the movement control order (MCO). Again. We have not won the battle against Covid-19.
We are experiencing deja vu; we are again stuck in our own states, if not districts.
With cases in Penang and the rest of the country climbing higher with unflagging speed, most of us are blaming everything except ourselves.
Take, for example, the Ramadan bazaars. Patrons have been crowding the sites like they have never been to a food bazaar before.
Despite repeated advice and warnings by the authorities, bazaar visitors tend to ignore the standard operating procedures imposed on them.
As a journalist, I was frequently asked by my editors to get reactions and watch how Ramadan bazaars operate under the MCO.
On one occasion, at one of the Ramadan bazaars in the southwest district of Penang island at the start of Ramadan, I had a scary episode as I watched thousands of people crowding the place.
There were enforcers but with such a crowd, it was not humanly possible to keep everyone in line.
A trader selling chicken rice there told me that as a businessman, he liked the crowd but in the name of public safety, he felt afraid. He did not know how to control the crowd at his stall.
“I can ask customers a few times to mind their distances from each other but how many times must we keep reminding them?” he said.
I agree with what the trader said and I bet not only him but almost all traders at Ramadan bazaars experience the same feeling when customers crowd in on them.
It is hard to make money and at the same time, maintain order among the customers.
No matter how many regulations are created or how strict the SOP enforcement is, if the people don’t adhere to rules and are not disciplined, the spike in cases will continue.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said pandemic fatigue and reopening of many economic sectors are among the reasons for the rise in Covid-19 cases.
“Members of the public have become fatigued and therefore, they are complacent about adhering to public health measures.
“Besides that, the relaxation of rules, the reopening of economic sectors and borders and also mass gatherings resulted in a surge in Covid-19 cases in many countries.
“The situation is more worrying with the emergence of new mutations of the Covid-19 virus, ” said Dr Noor Hisham in his daily Covid-19 press statement on May 3.
One thing is for sure: a lot of us have been letting our guard down and honestly, I think we should stop blaming others and start blaming ourselves.
It is sad that most of us have to spend Hari Raya again this year without our loved ones.
I am among the lucky few to have one of my parents living with me but my brother is ‘trapped’ in Kajang, Selangor, under the MCO.
I hope he and his family are in good health and safe from Covid-19.
Folks, we still have a long way to go in this battle against the pandemic.
We must realise the threat is real and everyone is facing the same struggle.
We must not let our guard down. Remember to always be cautious in crowds and during close contact and close conversations. We have not won anything yet.
To all my Muslim friends out there, stay safe and Selamat Hari Raya Aidilifitri.