Movement Control Order Version 2 has been extended again for Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, and Penang. Given that the daily number of confirmed cases remains stubbornly high, this decision does not come as a surprise. Malaysians simply do not have the necessary discipline to contain the coronavirus without a complete lockdown. In addition, Malaysia was doing pretty well until some of her political leaders decided that a pandemic was a good time to go campaigning in East Malaysia. The poor governance in Top Glove worsened the pandemic. Luckily, the vaccines are here to hopefully put an end to this miserable situation, which has gone on for about a year. Judging by the encouraging circumstances of the developed countries that have started vaccinating their citizens, it is reasonable to expect that Malaysia will also see a sharp fall in its number of confirmed cases within a few months’ time. Unless of course Malaysia fumbles again.

The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NCIP) will be the largest immunisation programme Malaysia has ever carried out. So far, it seems that the NCIP has been well-planned. It is the hope of every Malaysian that execution will be smooth and orderly. Malaysia has been failed by poorly carried out plans countless times. In the coming days, the government will need to conduct a massive campaign to educate the public on the immunisation programme in order to dispel any doubts and fears regarding the vaccines. The NCIP simply must succeed.