Malaysians could face fine, jail time for not wearing face masks

PETALING JAYA • The Malaysian government is considering whether to impose a fine or jail time on those who refuse to wear a mask, once the use of face masks is made mandatory in public places, said the country's health director-general, Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said on Tuesday that the growing number of infections was worrying.

The number of new coronavirus cases hit double digits for the fourth straight day yesterday.

There were 16 new cases yesterday. The country now has a total of 8,831 cases, with 123 deaths.

If the wearing of a face mask is made mandatory in public places under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act, Dr Noor Hisham said that those who flout the law could be fined RM1,000 (S$326) or jailed.

"The Health Ministry is encouraging the use of face masks, especially in public places, high-risk places or places where social distancing of 1m apart is hard to enforce.

"We have currently not made it mandatory because once we make it mandatory under the Act, we would have to consider the punishment.

"We are still looking at the punishment - whether to fine or give jail time for those not wearing face masks - once its use is made compulsory," he said during a briefing on Tuesday.

He reiterated the ministry's recommendation on the use of face masks, which could reduce the risk of infection by 65 per cent, as well as social distancing, which could reduce transmission by up to 70 per cent.

On Twitter, Dr Noor Hisham said: "Success breeds complacency, and complacency breeds failure."

The Health Ministry had expected to see zero new cases as early as the middle of this month, after weeks of mostly fewer than 10 new cases detected each day.

He urged Malaysians to avoid crowded spaces.

Yesterday, Dr Noor Hisham said the ministry recorded four recoveries and 16 new Covid-19 cases.

Percentage in which the risk of infection is reduced by using face masks.

Of the 16 new infections, eight were imported cases involving four Malaysians and four foreigners who are residents in the country or who came into the country for work.

"Of the eight local cases, seven cases involved Malaysians and one involved a foreigner who was screened when leaving the country," Dr Noor Hisham said.

The seven cases involving Malaysians were from Sarawak.

"Up until now, only five cases are still being treated in intensive care units. One requires a ventilator," he said.

He also said there were no new fatalities, with the death toll remaining at 123.

Starting tomorrow, Malaysia requires all visitors to undergo quarantine at appointed centres, instead of at home, after a photo of a person flouting home quarantine rules spread online.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, BLOOMBERG