By Kuik Cheng Kang, Sin Chew Daily

Be it a business or a human life, being alive is the most important.

Many who were admitted into a hospital could not come out alive. Their bodies were either cremated or buried, and not even their loved ones got to see them one last time!

I locked myself inside my room over the past 14 days, only to come out of it today.

A colleague of mine suddenly called me after the Raya holidays that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. As a close contact, I had to put myself in home quarantine and do the tests twice which luckily showed negative results.

During those days hibernating inside my bedroom, every now and then I received messages that friends around me fell to the virus one after another, and someone famous got hospitalized or killed by it.

I believe many of you might have watched this video clip on WhatsApp: the brother of a listed company's boss was having a great time singing karaoke with family, but later died of COVID-19 while his family members and friends tested positive for the virus.

I felt disheartened watching the video, lamenting the impermanence of mortal life.

Very often human lives are abruptly taken away from us without we having the chance to bid our loved ones adieu.

Being on the forefront of information, we journalists have acquired an unusual sensitivity in newsworthiness.

While handling the health ministry's daily infection data and vetting through COVID-related news articles sent in by reporters from all across the country during those few days in the run-up to Hari Raya, we knew that things would not look up quite well. Indeed, staggering new infection and mortality numbers were reported over the following few days with ICUs packed to the seams. We knew very well the latest wave of infections was seriously no joke!

Unfortunately many have failed to see the severity of the current situation.

Many continued with their regular gatherings and social activities, thinking that they would be safe if they put on their masks, even though it had been reported in the media that new variants had exacerbated the outbreak. Obviously, many Chinese Malaysians have fallen to the virus in the latest bout of infections.

Many COVID-positive patients do not really know that they have been infected. The rising number of unlinked cases shows that the virus has penetrated deep into our community.

The only way to break the infection chain is to halt all social activities including dining-in and reinitiating WFH arrangements for companies.

Seeing that things had worsened significantly, I decisively canceled all entertainment for the week and instructed most of the department heads and reporters to work from home to protect themselves, their families, and colleagues.

I am impressed by the "self lockdown" the Taiwanese people have imposed on themselves. This is something we all can do here without adding to our society's burden.

We have seen too often that many people don't bother about the SOPs. Some don't even go for tests or go on home quarantine having suspected that they might have been infected, implicating their loved ones in the end.

Meanwhile politicians, including some of our ministers, have set very bad examples for the rest of the country by not strictly adhering to the SOPs which are themselves flawed in the first place.

The journey ahead is getting increasingly tough, thanks to the many inadequacies of our government and a pathetically low level of self-awareness among Malaysians.

The government has never conducted mass screening among the people, allowing the virus to spread rapidly in our midst through asymptomatic cases. This time, the Selangor state government has taken the initiative to conduct mass screening and such a move should be commended and emulated by other states.

Owing to the high cost of COVID-19 tests, the government has decided to make them a controlled item with the hope the more affordable pricing will encourage people to go for tests.

I would like to suggest that clan houses and business associations consider deploying their resources to provide free COVID-19 tests for their members and encourage them to get vaccinated. Chinese clan houses and business associations constitute one of the three major pillars of the local Chinese community. They are always there whenever their assistance is needed during difficult times. If possible, I hope that they will extend their help to non-Chinese Malaysians as well in a display of true muhibbah spirit.

Local businesses which have the means should more so do the same, not only to help the country but themselves too.

In view of the constantly record-breaking daily new infection numbers, Malaysians now strongly demand that the government enforce a complete lockdown to break the infection chain. Understandably many were enraged when PM Muhyiddin announced that the government would only tighten the existing SOPs without enforcing a lockdown, a decision many feel is a total crap.

While I can understand how frustrated and anxious most people feel, they should also try to understand the dilemma of the head of government.

Other than browsing the health ministry's reports, the PM must also assess the impact of a complete lockdown to the country's economy. In view of that, he consulted industrial representatives before finalizing his decision, lest it would trigger more job losses and factory closures.

Opening up economic activities during MCO 2.0 has allowed the country's exports and trade sectors to register encouraging growth, and has indeed kept many employed. Unfortunately, the gradual liberalization and allowing of social activities and dining-in have also opened up a crack for the virus to propagate in our midst.

While a complete lockdown will help break the infection chain, it takes time for supply chains in the economy to fully restore. A hefty socioeconomic price is anticipated if a complete lockdown is in force. Even anti-COVID star performers the likes of Singapore and Taiwan are now finding themselves struggling to tackle the virus.

In other words, this is going to be a protracted war of unprecedented proportions between man and the virus. We cannot expect the virus to completely vanish from this planet by the end of this year or next year. We must ready ourselves to live with the virus and calmly plan for our respective future.

We must understand that governments around the world not only need to fight the virus but also take care of the people's livelihoods. Chaos will set in if the people of a country are left to starve because their government is mishandling the pandemic.

With the daily numbers of new infections rising steadily in recent weeks, there is mounting pressure from the rakyat strongly demanding a complete lockdown.

Accelerating the vaccination program is the only way out in this battle against the virus.

It is understandable that people get panicked seeing the staggering daily infection numbers. It is nonetheless a good thing that people begin to yearn for the vaccines like never before. That being said, those who have failed to secure a slot for AZ opt-in vaccination and still don't see their vaccination appointments on MySejahtera will invariably curse the government for the slow progress.

While journalists are listed as among the frontliners, many are still waiting for their turns to get their shots. Reporters covering the LRT crash a couple of days ago were completely exposed to infection risks. Thanks to the persistent efforts of news editors nationwide and arrangement from the PM's office, some 5,867 journalists across the country will eventually get to be inoculated early next month.

Everyone now hopes that they will get immunized as soon as possible.

To be honest, the latest wave of COVID-19 infections is both highly unpredictable and treacherous. As such, all parties must put aside their differences and do our utmost to help one another as well as the distressed groups through this crisis.

As citizens of this country, we must dutifully comply with all the SOPs and refrain from grumbling. If you think the government's SOPs are not good enough, draw up an enhanced version for yourself!

Less frustration at this moment is a boon to the society. We don't have to keep rebuking to vent our frustration. This will not do our society any good.

More than ever we need to work hand in hand to defeat the virus so that companies and the people all get to survive and live on.

More than 2,000 people have so far succumbed to the virus. Many who were admitted into a hospital could not come out alive. Their bodies were either cremated or buried, and not even their loved ones got to see them one last time!

Only those who have tested positive, been rushed into an ICU ward and have walked out alive know the pains and torments they've gone through during the treatment.

Meanwhile, there are those who have lost their jobs and are drained by the insurmountable pressure of life.

Many medical frontliners are fighting the virus without much sleep or rest, some succumbing to the virus while trying to save the lives of others.

Such sad real-life stories happen not only in Malaysia but have become an indelible collective memory in human history.

Human lives are so frail and inconstant.

In the face of a bewildering cyber world and a superlatively powerful virus, we need to learn to be more empathetic, accommodating, compromising and caring.

Be it a business or a human life, being alive is the most important thing right now.

We can do a whole lot of things if we get to live.

As long as we survive, we can change the government as often as we like. Can't we?