The Sultan of Brunei has called for transparency in the Covid-19 revisions

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (pic) has asked the Ministry of Education (MoE) to be transparent about the drop in school attendance during the Early Endemic Phase, as well as the Ministry of Health (MoE) to revive and share information on Covid-19 clusters and conduct a thorough assessment of vaccine provision for children aged five to eleven years old.

On Monday (March 8), the Sultan issued a proclamation chairing the Covid-19 Steering Committee Special Meeting at Istana Nurul Iman, calling for improvements in the distribution of food rations to individuals under quarantine.

According to the queen, there were problems in schools when pupils who tested positive for COVID-19 continued to attend courses and infect teachers.

 

"How could the school verify that no spread occurred on school grounds if this was the case?"

"At a news conference on March 4, the Ministry of Education announced it had noticed a daily drop in student attendance but did not explain why.
The Ministry of Education only stated that online learning would begin on March 7 and last for two weeks.

 

"I believe the reason for the decline in student attendance was due to concerned parents who did not want their children to go to school because they believed there was an outbreak on school grounds," says the author.
He stated that this is a subject that needs to be investigated.

The number of new clusters was communicated with the public during the first wave, which rocked the country in March 2020, according to the Sultan.

 

"However, as we transitioned to the Early Endemic Phase, cluster information was no longer given.
Is it a method of concealing information?

"Doesn't it pose a risk to people who unintentionally enter a cluster if a new cluster isn't known to the public?"
enquired the monarch

"We are still documenting positive cases from foreigners entering the country as well as domestic transmissions," the Sultan continued.

 

"It's critical to determine if the case number increases or decreases, as well as the cause of the trend.
Instead than simply tracking or tallying the number of infections, this group should examine this critical issue.
As a result, research is critical.
We can then proceed to the following step once we have gotten the research results."

"The number of cases is currently on the rise," the Sultan added.
What is the explanation for this?
Despite the fact that our vaccination programme is widely regarded as effective, the number of positive cases continues to climb.
Is there anything else we need to do?

 

"Unlike several other countries, the United States has never proclaimed a state of emergency.
Some of these countries have taken the position of reducing restrictions first, then re-imposing them.

"I'd want to hear the committee's thoughts on such an approach."
Cabinet ministers who serve on the committee are required to assess and thoroughly consider all factors without hesitation, to stick to one opinion or one opinion alone, and to avoid mimicking or employing illogical approaches and beliefs.

"This is not the right way since it resembles hurling oneself into destruction, which our religion forbids.
In these frightening times, I believe it is too soon to relax restrictions and stop daily updates on Covid-19 developments in the country.

 

"Doesn't the lack of announcements imply that we're withholding information from those who wish to keep up with the latest advancements and guidelines?"
The daily press conference by the Ministry of Health is still the best platform to address the situation and reduce the impact that may arise from the committee possibly overlooking the direction in which to synchronised efforts on all levels as long as there are no effective alternatives to convey clearly the important information on the state of the outbreak in the country."

 

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Edited March 10, 2022 by ASEAN NOW Content Team