BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT WITH HONOURS

SEMESTER 3 / 2021

OUMH1203

ENGLISH FOR WRITEEN

COMMUNICATION

MATRICULATION NO : 991031085271001
IDENTITY CARD NO. : 991031085271
TELEPHONE NO. : 0142549497
E-MAIL : muhammadsyamirul@oum.edu.my
LEARNING CENTRE : TAIPING LEARNING CENTER
Task 1

Introduction

1. Tell about pandemic Covid-19 evolved.

2. Malaysia’s statistic about this pandemic
3. Movement Control Order
4. Thesis statement: The implementation of MCO and the closing of non-essential
services are for everyone’s health.

Body

1) Construction and renovation industry

a) Pros:
i) Road pavement
ii) Local workers
b) Cons:
i) Loss
ii) Foreign workers
2) Tourism industry
a) Pros:
i) Travel bubble
ii) SME economy
b) Cons:
i) Ignorant travellers
ii) Sporadic cases in tourist spots

Conclusion

1. Strict implementation of MCO

2. Construction and renovation industry is okay for the facilities
3. Tourism industries need to wait until the situation is calm

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Task 2

1.0 Introduction

The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, Hubei, China, was hit by a
peculiar respiratory outbreak. The first epidemic was recorded in December 2019, affecting
around 66% of the workers. World Health Organisation (WHO) had identified a total of
28,276 confirmed cases with 565 fatalities in at least 25 countries as of February 6, 2020. A
new beta-coronavirus was eventually discovered to be the source of the outbreak. Employees
at hospitals who were contacted to or encountered patients' fluids were ill, resulting in
nosocomial infections. A novel coronavirus epidemic in the Middle East in 2012 bears
striking parallels to the 2003 outbreak.

The average incubation time for COVID-19 is 5.2 days (95 percent confidence
interval: 4.1–7.0). Vague symptoms, such as dry cough, fever, and weariness, generally lead
the array of symptoms. Fever (83 percent–98 percent), cough (76 percent–82 percent), and
shortness of breath (31 percent–55 percent) seem to be the most common indications and
reactions. The symptoms are minor after the commencement of the illness, and the median
time to initial hospital admission is 7.0 days. ARDS develops in patients with terminal
illness, and they die of multiple organ failure. It has not been proven that oral-fecal transfer
occurs. The lungs are the key organ involved in theory (Wu et al., 2020).

Malaysia had 8658 COVID-19 positive cases as of July 4, 2020, with 121 fatalities
and 8461 recoveries. The initial wave of the epidemic (January 25, 2020 - February 16, 2020)
recorded 22 cases, the majority of which were imported. Beyond this date, the second wave
began, with an exponential increase in daily positive cases. Since March 18, 2020, there has
been a downward trend in the execution of the four-phase Movement Control Order (MCO).
During the CMCO phase, however, intermittent surges were detected due to the discovery of
positive cases among migrants in detention centres. With diminishing trends, Malaysia
tightened the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) (Ganasegeran et al., 2020).

To avoid the growth of pandemic infections, residents were barred from migrating,
border officials for visitors from afflicted countries were halted, reported cases were
segregated, and affected individuals were confined. Thermal scanning was used to screen
possible infection at entry and departure points. Violations of MCO laws can result in fines of
up to one thousand Malaysian Ringgit and/or imprisonment for up to six months. The
following steps were taken as part of MCO: (1) prohibition of mass movements, religious,

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sports, social, and cultural activities; (2) closure of business premises except for daily
necessities and needs services; (3) self-quarantine and health-check measures for those
returning from abroad; (4) restrictions on tourists and visitors; and (6) closure of all
government and private premises except for essential services such as water and electricity
(Tang, 2020).

Community participation and support were substantially connected with cooperative

and non-pharmacological therapies. COVID-19 must be made available to the public on time
and on a regular basis to minimise false propaganda, rumours, and fear. Cancelling or
delaying random or scheduled sports, events and religious activities are examples of
community mitigation methods. Every activity involving crowded and crowded places had to
be cancelled. In addition, all citizens must wear face masks and move in pre-designated social
distancing. They are obliged to take care of the health of themselves and those around them
so that a normal life can return to normal. The government has issued a statement saying that
every citizen should adapt to the current situation that requires them to move into the new
normal after the pandemic (Tajudin et al., 2021).

Through social, print, and electronic media, Malaysia's Ministry of Health (MOH) has
been giving monthly updates on COVID-19 risk factors, transmissibility, clinical
characteristics, and preventative methods. When the government proposed alternatives to
traditional bazaars during the fasting month, the intensity of popular dedication was palpable.

The MCO witnessed increasingly strict enforcement, with roadblocks being set up
around the country and the military being called to help implement the MCO. Inhabitants in
Covid-19 zones were subjected to stricter MCO, comprising restricting regular and transient
inhabitants from leaving their families and preventing non-residents from visiting. Such
actions, combined with other mobility at the start of the MCO even before to tighter
regulation, which were characterised by localised grouping at marketplace and holiday
destinations, raises the odds of Covid-19 spread, which was connected to an increase in high
Covid-19 cases over the next fourteen days, soaring on July 1 (Tang, 2020).

Through the observation from Bernama, the traffic in the whole nation on most major
roads, especially in capitals and capitals that are often congested in the morning of the
working day moved smoothly as many began working from home. In fact, supermarkets and
department stores across the country are reportedly not being visited as they have been,
indicating many agree with the government's orders. Most notably tourist attractions such as

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Batu Buruk Beach, Alor Setar Tower and Bandar Hilir are also seen as deserted, although it is
now a school holiday season. The situation is also not as busy as usual at the entry points of
the country, such as Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex (ICQS) in
Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah and the Johor Causeway after the Malaysians' travel abroad is
completely restricted, as well as the entry of foreigners into the country (Bernama, 2020). 

The observation also found that most businesses that do not sell essential items, close
their premises, as directed and only premises selling daily necessities and selling food are
operating as usual but by ensuring that the prohibition of 'eating within the premises' is
complied with by customers. In fact, based on the survey, there are food premises such as
Selangor which are seen to take extra steps by pasting reminders and instructions that sales
and purchase arrangements only involve the sale of packets and eating in stores are not
allowed. The non-essential business closure during MCO is aimed for everyone’s health. It is
also to reduce the number of residents rather than gathering for reducing the rate of Covid-19
infection from spreading rapidly.

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2.0 Pros of opening non-essential services

The opening of non-essential businesses during pandemics such as construction and

tourism industries could provide an opportunity for the country's economic sector to continue
functioning as normal. This chance gives hope to the people who are trapped in a burdensome
situation after the Covid-19 pandemic hit Malaysia. For the workers involved in the
construction industry, homework is a very difficult task to carry out as they need to survey
the construction site regularly to ensure the construction process runs smoothly. Apart from
that, the tourism industry had to be closed due to the absence of tourists to the focus of visits
in the area. Thus, the opening of non-essential services can boost the activities and lives of
the communities affected by this pandemic.

By opening the construction sector, the government can reduce the rate of losses
incurred because of abandoned projects. Each project under the government tender can also
be completed within the stipulated time without needs to spend more. The total loss of the
construction sector dropped to RM6.2 billion after the government allowed the industry to
resume operations in stages during the third phase of the MCO from 15 April. Datuk Ahmad
Asri Abdul Hamid, Chief Executive of the Construction Sector Development Board (CIDB),
stated that with such authorization, the industry was able to minimize losses to roughly
RM6.2 billion from RM11 billion in the first and second stages of the MCO (18 March-14
April 2020) (Rusli & Mat Ruzki, 2021). Besides that, developers and contractors also employ
local workers, especially those who are looking for work. This will reduce the cost of salaries
and wages required for foreign construction workers. The money withdrawn for Covid-19
screening tests can be saved because local workers have health records in government
hospitals and clinics thus giving them the opportunity to receive health subsidies from the
government. The risk of spreading Covid-19 can also be reduced by the influx of foreigners
as workers as they have been replaced with local workers. The opening of construction
projects can also facilitate business and provide comfort to tax-paying citizens to use the
facilities provided by the government. Among them are road paving projects in every
country. People are not allowed to leave while the MCO is being enforced, so this is a good
opportunity for the Public Works Department to do easy paving of roads due to the lack of
vehicles on the road. Thus, the opening of the construction industry during the MCO can
increase the old infrastructure to new with less disruption in addition to reducing the number
of losses incurred by the government.

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 In addition, the opening of the tourism industry during the pandemic which limited
the number of tourists in tourist hotspots can provide consistent profits to small sellers around
the area. Through a tourism bubble initiative that only allows domestic tourists to travel to
states close to strict SOPs, after the island's tourism business reopened under a pilot tourism
bubble project, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Company (MOTAC) originally planned
roughly 200,000 domestic visitors to visit Langkawi from September 16 to December 2021.
MOTAC also targets about 30,000 tourists visiting the resort island throughout September.
Nancy stated that she has presented a proposal to the Ministry of Finance on behalf of tourist
sector stakeholders, which is intended to be used as a reference in the preparation of Budget
2022 (Bernama, 2021a). Small sellers and hotel owners can breathe a little sigh of relief as
there is a sale transaction for them to continue the business. The absence of tourists will cause
the tourist hotspots to retreat and thus close the opportunity for every small and large
business owner there to continue their business. The presence of tourists to tourist hotspots
can boost activities and give hope to the business owners there to continue their business.

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3.0 Cons of opening non-essential services

Businesses have suffered a severe economic effect because of the COVID-19

epidemic. Microentrepreneurs are the worst hurt, as they are unable to conduct their
operations. To combat the spread of the disease, many governments have implemented
restrictions such MCO. Malaysia's SMEs and micro-SMEs account for 98.5 percent of the
country's enterprises. To combat the spread of COVID-19, Malaysia's government issued a
countrywide MCO on March 18, 2020. All non-essential enterprises were prohibited from
running by the MCO, and citizens were unable to engage in their normal social and economic
activities. In Malaysia, SMEs, and micro-SMEs account for 98.5 percent of the total number
of firms (SME Company Malaysia, 2020).

Following the reinstatement of the CMCO to replace MCO, various limits were
imposed on people's mobility and activities. Budgetary control and distribution network
delays are the two important considerations of SMEs mostly during COVID-19 emergency.
Although the stimulus package offered brief reprieve, it was judged adequate to ensure the
long-term sustainability of SMEs. Tourism-related businesses are expected to be harmed by
versatile visa restrictions and avoidance, while manufacturing and exports are expected to be
harmed by international logistics disruptions. The economic impact will persist until the
pandemic is effectively controlled both domestically and globally. The country's economy
would be impacted by a major reduction in oil prices and irregular oscillations, as well as
supply interruptions in the resources business. While the MCO's adoption and subsequent
extension are vital, the suspension of non-essential service providers' activities and decreased
operational capacity would depress economic activity.

The closure of non-essential services such as construction and renovations, especially

the ongoing infrastructure construction will result in the length of time it takes to complete
the building to become longer. However, construction that runs as usual will result in every
strict SOP that needs to be adhered to be ignored. This is because construction is a heavy job
and always in a crowded environment with other workers. The use of face masks and social
distancing of 1-m will only slow their condition. In fact, they will be more susceptible to
contracting Covid-19 disease due to them let go of face masks and sitting in large groups. In
addition, they are also more susceptible to Covid-19 disease if they work within a large
crowd. Developers and contractors had to withdraw money for their employees to conduct
Covid-19 tests to detect workers infected by the pandemic (Hairom & Mohd Sanusi, 2021).

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This will only result in losses to the developer and contractors. Therefore, the infrastructure
construction that still in progress will only create loss for the developers and contractors if the
construction workers are infected with the virus. Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Senior Minister
of Works issued a statement saying that construction sectors in the country face a serious
shortage of 3D (dirty, dangerous, and difficult) workers, causing some major projects to be
disrupted (Bernama, 2021b). He said contractors who rely on foreign workers for work in that
category face difficulties in meeting construction schedules, even though the construction
sector has been allowed to fully operate during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery phase.
However, there are still some contractors who illegally employ foreign construction workers
to ensure that construction work can be carried out. Foreign workers entering the country via
rat roads are unable to perform health checks and Covid-19 screenings as they have no record
of entry into the country (Fuad, 2020). In fact, they were not given suitable rental homes to
undergo a two-week quarantine period. This issue will only cause the rate of Covid-19
infection to increase.

In addition, for travel agencies that open during MCO, they will be faced with the
problem of their clients hiding their health information. There are customers who show no
symptoms of Covid-19 infection and continue their journey to travel places. Although the
government allows travel activities to run as usual through the travel bubble initiative, the
irresponsible attitude of some tourists will cause the rate of Covid-19 infection to increase
within a formidable distance. Furthermore, the Covid-19 virus which has evolved and caused
symptoms of patients infected with the disease is difficult to detect. The unreasonable attitude
of some Malaysians has made it harder for the country's front liners to be working hard to
stop the Covid-19 endemic from spreading. There are also travelers who are resisting against
quarantine, demand unnecessary checkups, lie about their travel histories, and hide the fact
that they are the closest contact with covid-19 positive patients (Shah, 2020). This will only
inconvenience medical professionals when there is a sporadic case in the tourist area because
of them. Furthermore, many tourists will gather at famous tourist centers such as Melaka,
Langkawi, and Penang Island. The gathering of tourists in the same place during the
pandemic will cause the risk of Covid-19 infection to increase. There are several tourists who
bring children in crowded places. Children are among the vulnerable groups with the dangers
of Covid-19. In fact, the disease can cause death to them. Besides that, most tourists easily
forget when they find it fun to wander the tourist area to the point of ignoring the SOPs that
have been set. The hot weather in Malaysia also makes them sweatier if they are outdoors.

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This is especially worrying because the SOPs that oblige every citizen to wear a face mask
will be ignored.

4.0 Conclusion

Full implementation and improved awareness of the repercussions of Covid-19 have led to
substantial improvements in adherence. The Malaysian case demonstrates that community
cooperation and compliance are essential for government initiatives to be effective in
combating the pandemic. It may be stated that the MCO has been effective based on the
downward trends in new and active cases, if the MCO is followed. The opening of non-
essential services according to industry types such as construction can be done if it complies
with the SOPs that have been set, however, for the tourism industry can be delayed until the
situation is completely stable to reduce the rate of Covid-19 infection.

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