KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali has advised Malaysians against greeting each other with fist bumps to avoid Covid-19 transmission.
Instead, Bernama reported that he suggested simply putting one’s hand on their chest and bowing to each other.
“Don’t salam and touch, or move your body parts, but today I see a trend of not just fist bumps, but rubbing too, do we wash our hands after that?” Dr Noor Azmi told Senator Lim Pay Hen at the Dewan Negara yesterday.
“MOH (Ministry of Health) simply extends respect by putting hand on chest and bowing as a sign of respect, so I don’t think the current trend is good and I urge everyone to be careful.”
He also told Senator Robert Lau Hui Yew that MOH does not see a need to extend free periodic Covid-19 testing to school teachers, unless schools are placed under an Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO), as testing is focused on individuals with symptoms and people at high risk of contracting coronavirus.
“The government has set up standard operating procedures (SOPs) in various sub-sectors, including the education sector, so compliance with these SOPs is important to prevent Covid-19 transmission in schools.”
