PETALING JAYA: Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in Dewan Rakyat yesterday that the government would consider tightening the anti-virus SOPs if the number of new COVID-19 cases in the country increases further.

In a telephone interview with Sin Chew Daily, Professor Dr. Moy Foong Ming of Universiti Malaya proposed that the government should ban restaurant dining-in if the situation worsens because dining-in is a high-risk activity that exposes people to the virus while eating out or chatting without having their masks put on.

She said tightening dining-in SOPs is the fastest way to contain the spread of the virus.

While understanding that this measure would affect those in the F&B business, Moy said what restaurant operators could do was to implement strict social distancing measures, meaning they may no longer be able to operate at full capacity.

“Besides, it is also important to improve ventilation within the premises, especially in air-conditioned indoor spaces.”

If this still fails to contain the virus, she said the ultimate step was to impose a complete ban of dining-in.

She was of the view that the government should reintroduce social distancing measures to effectively reduce the risk of infection.

She also said the authorities should take actions against individuals not putting on their masks indoors.

Another measure that should be imposed is self test for participants before attending an event, such as a wedding dinner or party.

“While the government now strongly recommends this, it has never been strictly enforced.

“Self tests should be made mandatory if the number of new cases remains high, as this will prevent asymptomatic cases from joining such gatherings and infecting other people.”