Expected increased consumer spending accompanying move would help economic recovery, say experts Pix for representational purpose only.
PETALING JAYA: The revocation of the work-from-home (WFH) policy will give the economy a much needed boost.
However, strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOP) is essential to prevent another surge in Covid-19 infections, according to healthcare experts and economists.
An associate professor at Universiti Putra Malaysia, epidemiologist Dr Malina Osman, said the decision by the National Security Council would have been made based on proper risk assessments by the relevant authorities.
She said the authorities would have considered the fact that vaccines were already available although the number of new cases daily has not abated in the past 10 days, and decided that it was important for economic activities to resume gradually.
Rakyat pleased with targeted MCO approach thestar.com.my - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thestar.com.my Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
EXACTLY a year ago, there were whispers swirling that a lockdown would soon be imposed on the country, owing to the rising number of Covid-19 infections. Supermarket shelves were quickly emptied of daily necessities such as rice, eggs, tinned food and cooking oil.
Then on March 18, 2020, the first Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed and there was much uncertainty among the public and business community over what would happen next.
One year on, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has taken 1,177 lives and infected 314,989 people in the country (as at March 10). Despite the grim circumstances, many see light at the end of the tunnel as Malaysia rolls out its National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NCIP).
‘Explore NEP factor in poverty eradication plans’ Bernama
PETALING JAYA: Any strategy to address the poverty issue in Malaysia must take into consideration provisions in the New Economic Policy (NEP). Apart from that, an academic said political interests in the implementation of affirmative action must be curtailed.
Dr Rajah Rasiah, a professor of economics at Universiti Malaya’s Asia-Europe Institute, said while the NEP was the right approach towards addressing the poverty problem in Malaysia in the 1960s and 1970s, the conditions today are very different.
“To some extent, we can agree with the original thrust (for ethnic-based affirmative action) when the NEP was introduced through the Second Malaysia Plan in 1971,” he told
Timely measures kept economy afloat thestar.com.my - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thestar.com.my Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.