Even if you are not a fan of the Godfather movies, you are likely to know the famous scene where Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino says: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”
That fictional character was expressing his frustration that he may not be able to leave behind his criminal past.
What has that got to do with us? We are facing a similar position with Covid-19 in Malaysia.
Just as many think we are over the worst, the coronavirus is threatening to pull us back into another Movement Control Order (MCO) if a fourth wave hits.
If and when it does, we have no one else to blame but ourselves.
Recently, a video of an overcrowded Ramadan bazaar was widely shared. Authorities in Melaka and Negeri Sembilan warned they will cancel the bazaars if people disregard the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Then, we have football fans who were allowed back into the stadiums but are not following the rules.
The Malaysian Football League (MFL) has received complaints from the National Security Council that teams and fans often breach SOPs. MFL chief executive officer Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan warned teams may be forced to play behind closed doors once again.
On April 9, MUSC Motorsports – organisers of the MUSC SIC Sepang Drag Cars Test & Tune – received an RM20,000 compound for failing to comply with SOPs.
These are just three examples of people going ‘crazy’ but there are many more.
To compound the misery, new Covid-19 variants – Nigerian (B.1.525), British (B.1.1.7) and South African (B.1.351) – have made their way into Malaysia.
On top of that, the total sign-up for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme remains low. It’s free. Don’t we Malaysians love free stuff?
And it is easy. A friend related how his mum got her notification and vaccination date within days of registering.
She was a little confused about how to confirm the appointment without realising she already had.
When he tried calling the hotline, he said he was impressed by how efficient it was to get through to someone to answer his queries
So, please, don’t wait any longer. Go register for the vaccination and continue to follow all SOPs as the country cannot afford another shutdown.
Anyway, today is the 396th day since the start of the original MCO and this is the 44th weekly edition of ‘The MCO Diaries’.
WORRYING NUMBERS
The number of Covid-19 cases have started to rise and the country hit more than 2,000 new cases on Thursday (2,148) and yesterday (2,551). The last time the country recorded over 2,000 cases was on March 5 (2,154).
Yesterday’s figure was also the highest since Jan 6, when we had 2,593 new infections in one day.
Over the past seven days, we saw an increase of 12,921 cases which took the total to 370,528.
It is the highest accumulation of cases over seven days since Feb 27-March 5 when we recorded 14,146 new infections.
On Tuesday, we hit double figures for fatalities for the first time since Feb 27 (10), when there were 12 deaths.
In total, 52 new deaths took fatalities to 1,365. Once again, that total was the highest since Feb 27-March 5 (48).
The good news is that 9,074 patients were cured of Covid-19, taking recoveries to 350,563 or 94.61 per cent.
Worldwide, we are approaching 139.8 million cases and just over three million deaths.
MISSING THE EMPTY ROADS
Last April, when we were in the middle of the initial MCO, I did not spend a single sen on petrol. Fast forward 12 months and I have already spent RM150 and we are just halfway through the month.
One reason for this is the massive traffic jams each day due to horrendous weather.
I do miss the days of empty roads but the economic needs outweigh my selfishness. Stay safe everyone and selamat berpuasa.
THE KUALA LUMPUR RIPPER
Fancy yourself as an amateur sleuth? Here is a chance to test your investigative prowess with an exciting, outdoor detective adventure from CluedUpp.
If you are into Harry Potter, here is a version that may appeal to you.
FIND SPORTS BUDDIES
My badminton buddy Nadia Mahmud introduced a new mobile application to our group – Rovo. It promises to help “find people to do sports together” or aid you in “joining sports activities and groups near you, track scores, stats and rankings and organises activities painlessly”.
As one of our regulars was not feeling well, we were down to three players. Nadia used the app and found eight other players. We had to book two courts instead of one but it was worth it.
You can customise your skill level as well when hunting for players.
OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG WRITERS
To give the younger generation an avenue to express themselves, Twentytwo13 has a dedicated space called Young Voices. If you are a young writer (aged between 12 and 17) and would like to have your article published on our news website, send your contribution to editor@twentytwo13.my.
All articles must be accompanied by the young writer’s full name, MyKad number, contact number, and the mobile number of the young writer’s parents/guardians for verification purposes.
Click here and here to read the first two articles contributed by two 13-year-old girls.
FABULOUS PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BREAD RECIPE
Stumbled upon this recipe. A perfect treat for when you are stuck in the office and the munchies attack.
WEDDING DAY IN FUNERALVILLE
John Prine died on April 7 last year. Here is a number from Prine to end this week’s diary.
