Consider This

Just over 100 new confirmed cases were reported as of noon today. This is the lowest daily increase in 10 days. And it comes after a record increase of 212 cases yesterday. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan scour the news of the latest on Covid-19 and more.

According to the Director-General of Health, by the end of this week, Malaysia will double our daily testing capacity to 7,000. And by the first week of April, it will be increased to 16,500 daily tests. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Dr Musa Nordin, Consultant Paediatrician and formerly with the now-defunct Health Advisory Council, on the importance of testing.

Today Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that the country will go into emergency mode for one month starting this Thursday, March 26th. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Datuk Jojie Samuel, Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand, on the impact of the Covid-19 on Malaysians there and on bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that EPF account holders, aged below 55, can access their savings - to cope with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Will this be enough to ensure households have enough resources to ride out the pandemic in the next few months? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Nungsari Ahmad Radhi, economist and Chairman, Khazanah Research Institute.

Yesterday the government assured refugees that they will not be targeted for arrest if they come forward for testing. But how much awareness is there within the broader refugee community in Malaysia about Covid-19, about social distancing, about testing? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Lilianne Fan, Chair, Rohingya Working Group, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network.

In reaching out to those who attended the Seri Petaling tabligh to come forward, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said he didn’t want to stigmatise them. But stigmatisation is happening Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Ahmad Fuad Rahmat, Assistant Professor with the School of Media, Languages and Culture at the University of Nottingham Malaysia about the cultural dynamic of discrimination.

How do we ‘flatten the curve’ while ensuring that households have enough resources to ride out the Covid-19 pandemic in the next few months? Melisa Idris asks Christopher Choong, Deputy Director of Research at Khazanah Research Institute, on Consider This.

#KitaJagaKita is an effort initiated by a group of good Samaritans with the aim of linking "kind-hearted people" with organisations to assist groups that are badly affected by the Restriction of Movement Order. Melisa Idris learns more about this initiative, from Hanna Alkaf, an award-winning Malaysian author and #KitaJagaKita team member.

How can we use psychology and behavioral science in fighting the spread of Covid-19? Melisa Idris speaks to consulting psychologist, Dr Brendan Gomez, about what the government should consider in when rolling out new measures under the Restriction of Movement Order.

Following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan federal government, new political alignments have also emerged at the state level. This has led to three new state governments being formed - one of them being Perak. Melisa Idris speaks to Howard Lee, former state exco for Youth, Sports and Human Development for Perak, about the political developments in the state.