Malaysia's targeted approach to testing for the COVID-19 virus and its relentless efforts to break the chain of COVID-19 infection have resulted in the country achieving a recovery rate of about 97%, as well as reducing the number of remaining active cases, i.e. cases that have fallen to 100 out of 1000 previously recorded.
These impressive results put Malaysia in the top five countries in the world that have received international recognition for effectively fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the removal of restrictions on movement in the country, almost all sectors of the economy were opened.
Since the Decree lifting travel restrictions was put into effect on 10 June, foreign envoys and dignitaries in Malaysia have addressed the Minister of health, Mr. Datuk Seri Adham Baba, and the Chief of the health Department, Mr. Datuk Dr. Nor Hisham Abdullah, to congratulate them on their excellent work.
During an interview with Malaysia's state-run “Bernama” news Agency, Dr. Adham said he had met with the ambassadors of Japan - Oka Hiroshi, Colombia-Mauricio Gonzalez Lopez, Palestine-Walid Abu Wali, Sweden-Dag Yulin-Dannfelt and Uzbekistan - Ravshan Usmanov.
He also mentioned that the Saudi Embassy had contacted his office to pay their respects from their Ambassador.
"The ambassadors congratulated the Ministry of health of Malaysia, and also expressed their gratitude for the fact that they felt safe in this country. They said they were able to stay in the country and continue to perform their duties thanks to the preventive measures of the COVID-19 pandemic taken by the Malaysian authorities, " the Minister said.
According to Dr. Adham, some of the ambassadors also raised the issue of opening the border between Malaysia and their countries.
"The time has not yet come for Malaysia to implement the "green corridor", that is, the ability to move without restrictions between 2 countries where there is little or no COVID-19. This will probably be one of the issues that Malaysia will consider later, " he said, adding that the country is currently focused on monitoring the education sector, as all schools are scheduled to open by tomorrow.
The "green corridor" includes easing travel restrictions between two or more countries that have a low incidence of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nor Hisham continues to receive "courtesy calls" from foreign diplomats accredited in Malaysia.
He recently posted on his Facebook account that Australia's high Commissioner to Malaysia, Andrew Goledzinowski, met with him to share his country's experience in fighting COVID-19. They also discussed the experience of Malaysia in the fight against COVID-19 and the possibility of implementing a "green corridor" between Malaysia and Australia.
On Facebook, Dr. Hisham spoke about his meeting with South Korea's Ambassador to Malaysia, Lee Chi-Beom, and his delegation. In addition to discussing his country's response to the pandemic, the Ambassador also proposed creating a "green corridor" between Malaysia and South Korea.
The successful work carried out by the Malaysian Ministry of health in the fight against COVID-19 was also praised by associate Professor Julia Miller, an endocrine surgery specialist who is originally from the United States and is now in Australia.
"My friend and colleague, endocrinologist-surgeon Dr. Hisham Abdullah, is the head of the Malaysian Health Department and is leading the work aimed at fighting the pandemic. He made difficult decisions and acted in advance, even before the first case of the disease appeared in Malaysia.
Namely, strict border controls, testing, tracking and isolation, open, clear and consistent messages, daily press conferences, and decisions based on evidence and facts. He had been working day and night since January. Everyone, including the officials, listened to him and perfectly followed all his advice.
The Malaysian public strictly followed the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, such as: social distance, hand washing, wearing masks. As a result, Malaysia, a densely populated multicultural Asian country, succeeded in fighting the pandemic, and Dr. Hisham became a national hero. Science, not politics, " she wrote in her post.
British online entrepreneur and video blogger Darren Cronyan, who was in Malaysia for 11 weeks, i.e. during the action of the Decree on restrictions on movement (MCO), posted an eight-minute video on his YouTube channel, where he expresses gratitude to the entire country for effectively fighting the pandemic.
Cronyan, 46, said he was amazed at how the Malaysian authorities managed to deal with the crisis by passing and implementing a Decree on restrictions on movement and the introduction of quarantines.
Initially, he was faced with the question of whether he should return home or stay, but "when I saw that Malaysia started acting, although the UK was still open for business, I made the decision that I would stay in Malaysia, no matter how long it took," the blogger said.
"At all state borders, the police and army made sure that people did not move. We could only go out of the house to buy food and the most necessary things."
He also said that Malaysia's initiatives to limit the spread of COVID-19 should serve as a model for all countries of the world.
At the end of his video, the blogger expressed gratitude to Malaysia for providing him with a safe home to live in during his stay in this country.
