KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly half a year has passed since the March 18 movement control order was announced by the Government in order to break the chain of Covid-19 infections in the country, but the battle is still far from over.

“This virus is still in existence and the number of infections could increase at any time if we do not maintain the culture of the new normal.

“As Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reminded, we need to remain vigilant and not let down our guard or neglect taking the proper precautions against the Covid-19 pandemic. We need cooperation from all layers of society,” said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah.

Thus far, Malaysia has been lauded for its handling of the pandemic and its efforts to drive down infection rates, with frontliners leading the battle and citizens supporting those efforts.

Saifuddin said that the winners of the competition will be announced during the campaign launch.

He said the frontliners have done their part, but it is time for the ordinary folk on the street to continue doing their part by completely embracing the new norms in every aspect of their daily lives, especially as things can take a turn for the worse at any time, with more and more people letting down their guards and not strictly adhering to the standard operating procedure (SOP), including maintaining physical distance of at least one metre, wearing face masks as well as regularly ensuring personal hygiene and cleanliness.

Saifuddin said, “Frontliners have done their part and now it is

our turn to step up to the plate to help frontliners take care of us and make sure we take care of one another.

“The economy has just started picking up and we can’t allow infection figures to rise again. We can’t rely solely on our frontliners – they will continue their fight (against the pandemic) but we have to take responsibility and ensure that we observe the SOP every step of the way.”

To this end, the government will be launching a campaign called Embracing New Norms, to further drive the message across.

Saifuddin said the campaign will be launched by Muhyiddin on Aug 8 at Kompleks Sukan Pagoh, Johor.

The concentrated, standardised direction for the content of the nationwide awareness campaign will come from the Health Ministry, while the design will be overseen by the Communications and Multimedia Ministry.

Muhyiddin will launch the campaign on Aug 8 in Pagoh.

Implementation is planned to be cohesive and continuous for the next few months until the end of the year, covering all ministries and state governments. The impact of the campaign’s execution will

also be monitored, ending with a review to decide on the next steps to take.

“This campaign not only aims to increase awareness (on the importance of remaining vigilant against Covid-19 and taking the necessary precautions), but also acts as a rallying call to empower grassroots leaders to mobilise citizens to protect themselves, their families and the community in fighting the pandemic.

“This is not a question of adhering to law and regulations. We’re taking a ‘soft’ approach. It’s for the collective good,” he said.

Among the campaign’s target groups are both urban and rural communities, the public and private sectors, the religious community, and the tourism sector.

Within each target group will be several sub-groups which the government is looking to reach by mobilising the relevant organisations and agencies to reach the grassroots level.

As for the means of doing so, Saifuddin said it will be done via mass media, social media, advertising, posters and buntings, on-the-ground engagements as well as stakeholder engagements.

“The central message will remain the same – it has become an important mantra –- but we have to go beyond that in the way it is delivered, which is up to the agencies. We encourage the lead agencies to be creative in disseminating the message effectively by exploring various different aspects and media,” he added.

Muhyiddin will also announce the winners of a logo and tagline competition during the launch of the campaign.

The competition, which ran from July 1 to 10, sought the best logo

and tagline for the campaign with RM9,500 up for grabs and saw 1,137 participants submitting 2,150

logos.

The highest number of logos was sent in by a 31-year-old woman from Kedah with 127 submissions, while the youngest, a 13-year-old boy, and the oldest, a 64-year-old man, had submitted two logos

each.

The first, second and third place winners will receive RM5,000, RM3,000 and RM1,000 cash prizes respectively. There will also be a special consolation prize of RM500 for the person with the most submissions.

Alongside the kickstarting of the campaign and announcing the competition winners will be the launch of the Embracing the New Norm in Communities book, published by the Health Ministry.

The book, which will contain guidelines on adapting Malaysian lifestyles to the new normal, will

see the Bahasa Malaysia version made available first while other translated versions will be released later.

He said, “Broadly, the content will involve the importance of personal hygiene. It’s basically about doing things in the new normal with the SOP in mind.”

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/08/07/collective-effort-to-break-covid-19-chain