Movement Control Order Period Research Articles

Effect of COVID-19 Movement Control Order Policy on Water Quality Changes in Sungai Langat, Malaysia Within Distinct Land Use Areas

For the first time in the 21st century, many nations have been forced to conduct a lockdown that restricts their industrial, transportation, and social activities to avoid the extensive COVID-19 spread. Therefore, our study aimed to analyze the status of water quality that was measured by suspended particulate matter (SPM) in Sungai Langat, Selangor, Malaysia using the remote sensing technique. The study was concerned with rivers located in distinct land-use areas such as high-density urban, low-density urban, and agricultural areas. The study period included before and after movement control order (MCO) periods that occurred in February 2020 and February 2021, respectively. The SPM levels in each period were calculated using the remote sensing technique through Landsat-8 OLI images then they were analyzed using statistical analysis. The results of the remote sensing technique showed the highest decrease of SPM levels during the MCO period was observed in Sungai Langat within a high-density urban area (34.1%). Then, the SPM levels in all Sungai Langat raised significantly after the MCO period with the highest change at 31.6%. Rainfall and erosion factors had a significant impact on the SPM level through natural processes but the COVID-19 restriction had a direct impact on the SPM level due to the restriction of industrial and social activities. The suspended activities have made the lower emission compared with before the COVID-19 period in 2019.

Analysis of the Challenges to Healthcare Access among the Economically Disadvantaged Population during the Movement Control Order for COVID-19 Pandemic in Selangor - Malaysia

Background and Aim: The Healthcare systems all over the world were severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the burden is affecting the economically disadvantaged population (B40). This study aims to determine the challenges to healthcare access among B40 populations during the movement control order (MCO) for COVID-19 pandemic in Selangor, Malaysia.
 Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done using a remote data collection method by distribution of questionnaires to 381 participants among the B40 populations in Selangor.
 Results: The response rate was 80%. The participants agreed that it was very easy (16.3%), easy (29.1%) and moderate (28.3%) to access healthcare services during the pandemic. The challenges faced by the participants in accessing the healthcare service include transportation (35.4%), distance to obtain health care service (19.4%), delay in getting the service (38.1%), E-health service (18.6%), financial support for travel (18.6%) and financial support for healthcare service (35.7%). Participants who reduced spending on essential needs during the pandemic were 45.9%. More than half of the participants (61.4%) do not have a health financial protection plan as the government is subsidizing almost 98% of the healthcare cost. During the MCO period, 50.9% of the participants utilized the outpatient services which comprises 70.1% of public facilities and 29.9% of private facilities. In contrast, only 13.9% of participants utilized inpatient services from which public and private facilities were 75.5% and 24.5% respectively. The result shows the response of the study participants according to the satisfactory/dissatisfactory level regarding the quality of service being effective (45.8%/ 2.5%), safe (48.3%/ 2.0%), people centered (51.7%/ 2.0%), timely (37.4%/ 13.8%), equitable (47.8%/ 2.0%) and integrated (40.4%/ 3.0%).
 Conclusion: It is concluded that healthcare services were accessible among the B40 population during the COVID-19 in Selangor and the biggest challenge was the delay in medical services.

Behavioural changes in air-conditioner use owing to the COVID-19 movement control order in Malaysia.

Remote work (working from home) became a norm rather than an exception for the global workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic, influencing every facet of life in both positive and negative ways. The stringent action of the Malaysian government in enacting the Movement Control Order (MCO) motivated the investigation of its impact on the energy consumption behaviour of working people regarding air-conditioner (AC) use. To this end, this study conducted a cross-sectional survey through an online platform. An ordinal logistic regression model (ORL) was used to analyse the collected data of 1873 respondents to determine the factors influencing the ordinal variable of interest, AC-usage behaviour during remote work. Next, the variable with unordered categories, the MCO-induced change in AC-usage behaviour, was analysed using a multinomial regression model (MLT) to identify the potential determinants. Finally, a reason analysis unveiled aspects behind the transition in AC use during remote work. This study identified stopping AC use during remote work despite using it at the office before the MCO period as the most significant change in AC-usage behaviour due to MCO. This change was frequently adopted by people with medium-level incomes and high electricity bills. By contrast, participants unfamiliar with their electricity bill were most likely to start AC use during remote work, although they did not use it before the MCO. Participants working remotely in the communal spaces of their houses preferred to stop using ACs during MCO compared to private room users. Furthermore, age group and ethnicity significantly influenced AC-usage behaviour in remote work and changes in such demeanours. These findings recommend policy interventions to expedite limited AC use for a sustainable energy sector, even during future climatic emergencies .

Exploring Opportunities and Challenges of Using WhatsApp in Teaching Reading: A Malaysian Rural Primary School Context

Through the lens of COVID-19, the loss of learning in Malaysia was apparent as the rest of the countries in the world. In an effort to mitigate the loss, Malaysia announced the Movement Control Order (MCO) which helped to facilitate the home-based learning (HBL) system. As the schooling system migrates to online environments, teachers face significant barriers such as inavailability or lagging internet connectivity especially in the rural areas. Thus, asynchronous learning via WhatsApp was done throughout the MCO period. Cognizant to the foregoing issue, the aim of this study is to identify the technical and pedagogical opportunities as well as challenges of using WhatsApp features in teaching reading. Adopting survey research, this study examined 123 Malaysian rural primary English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers during the COVID-19 school closure. Descriptive analysis revealed thatWhatsApp is advantageous as teachers are already using it and it can be used anytime and anywhere. It was also revealed that the lack of handphones and inactive students provide novel challenges in teaching and learning of reading via WhatsApp. This study contributes toward understanding the challenges teachers face in asynchronous ESL teaching and learning, besides discussing the implementation of WhatsApp as a means for instructional reading skills during the pandemic. The use of WhatsApp before and during the pandemic in ESL teaching can be explored as well. As asynchronous learning is implemented widely in areas with limited access to the internet during MCO, this study is pertinent to understand teaching reading via WhatsApp is possible and enables students to learn reading successfully.

التدريس عن بعد أثناء جائحة كوفيد-19 لدى محاضري الكلية الإسلامية التكنولوجية العالمية بينانج REMOTE TEACHING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AMONG THE LECTURERS OF PENANG INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE

The world was shocked by the emergence of the Covid-19 virus. This situation affected the entire country, including universities and educational institutions. According to UNESCO reports, more than 1.5 billion students in about 165 countries have been affected by the closure of schools and campuses. As a result, schools, colleges, and universities had to switch to online learning. All parties have taken proactive steps by conducting online classes as well as the International Islamic Technological College Penang. This research aims to know the lecturers' strategies in carrying out the teaching process during the pandemic, their challenges, including technical knowledge and facilities available in college, and how they deal with these challenges. The paper employs qualitative approach where the researcher conducts interviews with the lecturers. In addition, this paper seeks to find out the effectiveness of online teaching during the Movement Control Order period. Among the problems that lecturers face is a lack of skills in conducting online classes and taking longer time to prepare teaching materials. The result also indicated that the lecturers lack competence in integrating technology into teaching. Although they encountered problems, the lecturers tried to learn from their colleagues and some of the lecturers were able to create a YouTube, channel and attend webinars.

Effect of the Movement Control Order on the Incidence of Complicated Appendicitis During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundAppendicitis is common and delayed presentation results in complicated appendicitis with increased morbidity. This study investigates the effect of the Movement Control Order (MCO) during the COVID-19 pandemic on the presentation and severity of appendicitis.MethodsA cross-sectional study including 193 patients diagnosed with appendicitis was conducted at four hospitals in Pahang, Malaysia. Those who presented between 1 February 2020 and 17 March 2020 were included in the pre-MCO group and those between 18 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 in the MCO group. The definitions of simple and complicated appendicitis were based on the Sunshine Appendicitis Grading Score. The primary outcome was the incidence of complicated appendicitis, and the secondary outcomes were length of stay, a composite of surgical morbidities and a composite of organ failure.ResultsA total of 105 patients in the pre-MCO group and 88 in the MCO group were analysed. The incidence of complicated appendicitis was 33% and it was higher in the MCO than in the pre-MCO group (44% versus 23%, P = 0.002). The MCO period was independently associated with complicated appendicitis in the logistic regression (P = 0.001). It was also associated with prolonged length of stay (3.5 days versus 2.4 days, P < 0.001) and higher overall surgical morbidity (19% versus 5%, P = 0.002).ConclusionThe MCO imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a higher incidence of complicated appendicitis and surgical morbidity.

Secondary school teachers psychological status and competencies in e-teaching during Covid-19

Presents problem/focus of studyThe Covid-19 outbreak has had a staggering impact on the global economy, public health and safety, trade and education. In Malaysia, the government implemented the Movement Control Order (MCO) as a preventive measure against Covid-19. In education, the learning process has been transferred to online teaching. However, pandemic pedagogy is making learning into completely online either synchronous or asynchronous. Therefore, the current research aims to determine the secondary school teachers' psychological status, competencies in e-teaching and teachers work motivation as well as determine the relationship between secondary school teachers’ psychological status and competencies in e-teaching during the Covid-19 outbreak. Design/methodology/approachCurrent research is a descriptive-correlational quantitative survey to determine teachers' psychological status, e-teaching competencies and working motivation during Movement Control Order (MCO) to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. The study sample consists of 595 secondary school teachers selected via convenient sampling. Quantitative data are collected from an online survey through the questionnaires with demographic, psychological status (stress, anxiety and depression), e-teaching competencies (teaching, monitoring and evaluation) and teaching motivation developed by the researchers were distributed during the MCO period. SPSS 25 is applied, Statistical measures such as Cronbach's alpha, means, percentage and standard deviation were employed to analyze the data to obtain the value of the school teachers' psychological status, e-teaching competencies and teaching motivation. Consequently, a Pearson correlation table was created to show the analysis of the school teachers' psychological status and competencies in e-teaching. FindingsThis finding indicated that the teachers' psychological factors in stress, anxiety and depressed are moderate, the teachers' competencies in e-teaching is moderate as well as teachers’ working motivations is also the moderate level. However, the highest mean value was found among the variables, this is revealed that despite the challenges during the Covid-19 outbreak, teachers showed positive and strong motivation in conducting e-teaching. Additionally, the result showed a negative relationship between psychological status and e-teaching competencies (-0.286, p < 0.01), as well as reported a negative relationship between dimension of psychological status and competencies in e-teaching. Limitation & recommendationsThis study has its limitations. This study is included only Selangor teachers and given that the information obtained from the study was gather from secondary schools, the generalizability might be limited. future research may consider expanding the scope from secondary schools to primary schools' teachers and then to university lecturers. Perhaps the scope is expanding, so more information could be obtaining and help researchers understand the teachers’ competencies in e-teaching, psychological status and work motivation.

Psychological Development of Parents Towards the Home-Based Teaching and Learning (PdPR) Process During the Movement Control Order (MCO): Causes and Issues

The Movement Control Order (MCO) implemented saw reforms in the field of education. Students have to undergo Home-Based Teaching and Learning (PdPR) as recommended by the Ministry of Education Malaysia. However, the PdPR method requires parents to monitor their children's PdPR activities at home. This leads to an increase in psychological problems, especially among parents. According to the Islamic perspective, methods of overcoming the psychological stress of parents during the MCO period are urgent that should be given attention to enable children and families to thrive in online learning. Furthermore, this study was conducted to analyze and identify the causes of parental psychological stress on the PdPR process. The design of this research uses a survey through the use of a questionnaire conducted on 516 respondents who were selected deliberately (purposive sampling) among Muslim parents in Malaysia. In addition, data were analyzed by descriptive statistical methods using SPSS. The results showed several reasons identified such as lack of electronic devices for PdPR, inefficient time management, and external pressure from teachers exacerbated the psychological development of parents. The results of the study can also be used to assist relevant agencies in relieving parental psychological stress during MCO.

Methods of Overcoming Parental Psychological Stress in Children's Education During the Period of Movement Control Order (MCO)

Methods of overcoming the psychological stress of parents in the process of educating children during the MCO period according to the Islamic perspective are among the issues that need to be addressed to overcome the crisis experienced by parents when managing children at home, especially in the learning process. Studies conducted on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on society revealed social barriers when the pandemic affected emotional and psychological well-being with symptoms of stress, stress, anxiety, worry, depression, and depression as well as persistent economic stress. Parents are no exception affected by the spread of COVID-19 and MCO with concern about the mental and emotional health of children during the MCO as well as stress and burdened with home-based learning and teaching (PdPR). Therefore, the crisis and stress that was found to exist among parents during the pandemic, especially in the aspect of children's education at home, should be taken remedial measures as a practice towards continued well-being and happiness in the family. Thus, this study was conducted to analyze the methods of overcoming the psychological stress of parents in the educational process of children during the MCO period. The design of this study was a survey study. The method of quantitative data collection was done using the distribution of questionnaires to 516 parents and analyzed descriptively using SPSS. The results showed that the majority of respondents always pray and rely on God (mean = 3.61) as the main step to overcome psychological stress. This study can be utilized by parents and all Muslim families next to the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), The National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), and Department of Social Welfare (JKM) to provide continuous education and guidance to shape family well-being in Malaysia.

Entertainment Media Channels Usage Patterns During the Movement Control Order (MCO) Period in Malaysia

With the increase of the new COVID-19 cases, the Movement Control Order (MCO) was introduced in Malaysia on March 18, 2020. It requires the closure of all businesses except those providing essential services and goods. The daily life of Malaysians changed tremendously due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all Malaysians had to adapt to the new normal. Thus, Malaysians turn to media channels to acquire authentic news and information. The entertainment media channel also changes its role in providing news and stories to Malaysians. This study focused on the use of entertainment media channels during the period of the MCO in Malaysia. A total of 10 informants were interviewed using a qualitative approach. Data were transcribed verbatim. The results of this study found that during MCO, Malaysians uses entertainment media channels as the new normal, as a means of entertainment, to read the news online, play online games and generate income on digital platform and watch free TV channels. In conclusion, media entertainment channels have contributed to reducing the stress faced by Malaysians and to provide authentic information throughout the MCO period.

Does sustainable consumption matter? Consumer grocery shopping behaviour andthe pandemic

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise in early 2020. The preventive measures imposed by many countries limited human movement, causing uncertainty and disrupting consumption patterns and consumer decision-making. This study aims to explore consumers’ panic buying (PB) and compulsive buying (CB) as outcomes of the intolerance of uncertainty (IU). The moderating role of sustainable consumption behaviours (SCBs) (e.g. quality of life [QOL], concern for future generation and concern for environmental well-being) were also tested to raise awareness of responsible and mindful consumption amongst the society and business stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachTo empirically examine the grocery shopping behaviours of Malaysian consumers during COVID-19, a total of 286 valid grocery consumer survey responses based on a purposive sampling were collected and analysed during the movement control order period between March and July 2020.FindingsThe findings confirmed the statistically significant impact of IU on both PB and CB and the impact of PB on CB behaviour. Amongst the three SCBs tested, only QOL significantly moderated the relationship between the IU and PB.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to construct a framework of consumers’ PB and CB during the pandemic, building upon the stimulus-organism-response model and the concepts of IU and SCB. This study further serves as the pioneering study on the moderating role of SCB in consumer behaviour research in the pandemic context, whereby consumers’ QOL significantly moderates the relationship between their IU and PB. This study has also drawn specific implications for grocery retailers and government agencies for retail and policy planning to promote positive social transformation in consumer buying behaviours during a pandemic or crisis.

Teaching and Learning (T&amp;L) Among University Students During the Movement Control Order (MCO)

Both academic institutions and schools were required to conduct online learning during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period. This study aims to identify Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Terengganu’s branch students’ perceptions of teaching and learning (T&amp;L) during MCO. The preferred technology framework for T&amp;L during the MCO period is also identified in this report. Furthermore, this study identifies the factors that influenced the choice of said application. The respondents were 256 UiTM Terengganu students from eight specialisations. Data were gathered through the use of online questionnaires administered through Google Forms. According to the findings, students had a generally positive attitude toward the online learning process but were less satisfied with its effectiveness. In terms of application selection, the university’s teaching and learning platform, Ufuture system, comes in first, followed by Google Classroom, Telegram, and WhatsApp. This study also discussed the strategies for improving the effectiveness of technology utilisation to optimise e-learning.

الفتوى المباشرة عن عقد النكاح عن طريق تطبيق مؤتمرات الفيديو طوال فترة حظر التجوال في الواقع الماليزي ومدى انضباطها ابلضابط حسن اختيار وسيلة التعبير عن الفتاوى: دار الإفتاء بولاية قدح نموذجا

This research deals with the direct fatwa on the issue of conducting the nikah through the application of video conferencing during movement control order period and the extent of its compliance to regulation with a good control over the means of expressing fatwas by the mufti. The research is done through the use of the descriptive and analytical method to describe the essence of the topic and follow the opinions of the jurists regarding it and study it in the recognized references in Islamic jurisprudence, then come up with a reasonable and appropriate result. The researcher comes with directives and values from Islamic rulings and links them to the current Malaysian reality. The researcher also analyzes the direct fatwa from the Fatwa House in the state of Qadah in this regard, and the researcher concluded that this direct fatwa is not complied with this regulation.

Pematuhan prosedur operasi standard di tadika swasta semasa tempoh perintah kawalan pergerakan

Pandemic COVID-19 and the enforcement of Movement Control Order (MCO) have created new norms in society. The re-opening of the private kindergarten during this MCO period was met with a different reaction from the entrepreneurs. The objective of this study is to analyse the level of compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This study involved 50 private kindergartens in Selangor. The assessment is based on two perspectives: feedback from kindergarten management and the trainee teachers. The findings showed that compliance levels were high with the mean score of 4.260 (before operation) and 4.278 (during operation) given by the operators on a scale of 1 – 5, while trainee teachers gave a mean score of 4.212. Before its operation, kindergartens have prioritized three safety measures: ensuring parents were free from COVID-19 (mean 4.64), monitoring teachers’ health (mean 4.52), and tightening the rules for visitors (mean 4.38). During its operation, kindergartens have improved their safety measures especially in prohibiting symptomatic children to kindergarten (mean 4.54), providing adequate hand sanitizer (mean 4.44), enforcing the use of face masks (mean 4.44), making isolation towards symptomatic children (mean 4.40), carrying out comprehensive disinfection activities (mean 4.36), and ensuring parents to cooperate accordingly (mean 4.32). The observations of trainee teachers have also supported these claims. According to the teacher trainees, the lower scores concerned around ensuring children to wear a face mask at all times (mean 3.72), prohibiting children from sharing personal equipment (mean 3.89), prohibiting physical contact among children (mean 3.96); conducting learning group activities (mean 3.98), and tracking close contacts of symptomatic children (mean 4.02). The high level of compliance indicates the entrepreneur's determination in ensuring that private kindergartens can operate properly and safely. The results of this study have a significant impact on the role of the relevant authorities to provide training and financial assistance to private kindergartens. Such support is essential for them to offer quality services in the interests of child education and safety.

Kahoot – A Game- Based Formative Assessment Tool During the Covid-19 Movement Control Order

The rapid development of technology has influenced the current system of education. The existence of various digital learning platforms online enables the teachers nowadays to implement them in teaching and learning as well as testing and evaluation. Kahoot is one of the digital learning platforms that mostly used by higher institutions students to assess their learning. Thus, a research conducted to investigate the usability of Kahoot as a formative assessment tool in ESL primary classroom during Covid 19 Movement Control Order period. The research employed mixed method approach whereby semi-structured interviews and survey questionnaire used as data instruments. There are 20 Year 4 pupils participated and responded to the questionnaire, while three of them and an English teacher responded to the interview. The findings show that most of the respondents coincided that the application of Kahoot enables them to learn English in a fun way, increase their English knowledge, capable to do the sharing of English knowledge to other people and increase their motivation and engagement during this pandemic period. In a classroom context, Kahoot has high potential in supporting and enhancing teaching and learning for both teacher and pupils with its outstanding features, especially during the pandemic period.

Perception towards E-learning and COVID-19 on the mental health status of university students in Malaysia.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of all including university students. With the preventive measures to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, all face-to-face teaching and learning are converted to e-learning. The COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of e-learning may influence these students' mental conditions. This study aimed to determine the association of factors with mental health status (depression, anxiety and stress) among university students in Malaysia. Study participants were tertiary education students from both the private and public universities in Malaysia. Participants were recruited via university emails and social media. The survey was administered via the online REDCap platform, from April to June 2020, during the movement control order period in the country. The questionnaire captured data on socio-demographic characteristics, academic information, implementation of e-learning, perception towards e-learning and COVID-19; as well as DASS 21 to screen for depression, anxiety and stress. The levels of stress, anxiety and depression were 56.5% (95% CI: 50.7%, 62.1%), 51.3% (95% CI: 45.6%, 57.0%) and 29.4% (95% CI: 24.3%, 34.8%) respectively. Most participants had good perception towards e-learning but negative perception on COVID-19. From the multivariate analysis, participants with positive perception on COVID-19 were protective towards stress (aOR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.92, 0.99), anxiety (aOR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90, 0.98) and depression (aOR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.91, 0.99). Older students were 14% (aOR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.79, 0.94) and 11% (aOR: 0.89: 95% CI: 0.80, 0.99) less likely for anxiety and depression, respectively. Students originated from the Malay ethnicity had higher odds (aOR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.05, 3.56) for depression. These findings demonstrated that the mental status of university students was greatly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Timely and credible information should be disseminated to alleviate their negative perception towards COVID-19.

Teaching and Learning by Using Online Application during Movement Control Order

Online teaching and learning have become the new norm in today’s educational world. Technology in education allows traditional teaching and learning methods to be improved and simplified. In this modern era, educators, specifically teachers and lecturers, take on the role of facilitators. Instead of being the main vessel of knowledge, they are responsible for assisting and support students’ learning process. The existence of various online applications has greatly helped teachers prepare, distribute, and evaluate students’ assignments. This study was conducted to identify the use of online applications in the teaching and learning process during the Movement Control Order, which has been implemented in Malaysia implemented to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak since March 18, 2020. The Movement Control Order has led to the closure of educational institutions, including schools and universities. Consequently, educators have been using online applications to deliver their teaching contents to continue the teaching and learning process and finish the syllabus. This study was conducted to determine digital learning status at Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Form Six College, Sabak Bernam, during the Movement Control Order period. The study questionnaire consists of 12 items pertaining to the use of online applications for teaching and learning using during the Movement Control Order. The findings show that all 83 teachers in Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Form Six College have been teaching online using various applications such as Whatsapp (89.20%), Telegram (71.10%), and Google Classroom (48.20%). The use of chat group in online applications makes it easier for teachers to communicate with the students and allows teachers to monitor students’ readiness to study and their progress. This limitless technology enables the teaching and learning process to occur at any time without having to be in a classroom. It also helps improve communication skills between teachers and students.

Malaysian Dentists’ Self-Reported Experience towards Continuing Clinical Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study assessed the self-reported symptoms/signs and precautionary measures towards continuing clinical practice during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic among Malaysian dentists. An online questionnaire was administered using Google Form distributed via social networks, email lists and social media pages to Malaysian dentists in both private and government sectors. Respondents were required to report their clinical activity during the three phases of the various Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed by the Malaysian government: namely the MCO, Conditional-MCO and the Recovery-MCO. Data was analysed with SPSS using descriptive and Chi-square tests. A total of 1548 dentists completed the survey. Five dentists reported being tested positive for COVID-19 test while 48 had one/more symptoms related to the disease. The majority perceived a real risk of COVID-19 transmission to dentists and more than 80% limited their clinical services to emergency/selective care during the MCO and C-MCO. About 17% of the dentists suspended face-to-face clinical activities during the MCO period but this figure dropped to 3.4% during the R-MCO. Clinical activities were limited mainly due to closure of workplaces (88.6%). Precautionary measures adopted at dental clinics included recording body temperature (54.2%), physical distancing in waiting rooms (84.6%) and hand washing prior to and after dental procedures (77.5%). The findings demonstrate that most dentists limited their clinical services during the MCO and resumed work once restrictions were lifted during the C-MCO and R-MCO. Many reported adopting appropriate precautionary measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Spreading Analysis of COVID-19 Epidemic in Bangladesh by Dynamical Mathematical Modelling

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which emerged from Wuhan, China, is now a pandemic, affecting across the globe. Bangladesh also is experiencing the rapid growth of COVID-19 infection and death cases started from 8th March 2020. The purpose of providing a simple yet effective explanatory model for prediction of the future evolution of the contagion and verification of the effectiveness of the containment and lockdown measures in Bangladesh. In this study, using a modified SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) model a forecast is generated to predict the trends of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh. The epidemic model was proposed to accommodate the effects of lockdown and individual based precautionary measures. Data has been taken and analyzed for before and after the movement control order (MCO) and during the MCO period. Modified SIR model in this work offers us an idea how the outbreak would progress based on the current data. It also has estimated that, the peak in terms of the number of infected cases will start from last of June 2020. For the total population (100%) the model gets the peaks at 214875 (infected cases) and 7743 (death cases). For the 90% population, the model shows the peaks at 244356 (infected cases) and 9100 (death cases). Analysis revealed that the lockdown and recommended individual hygiene can slow down the outbreak but unable to eradicate the disease from the society. With the current infection and death rate and existing level of personal precautionary the number of infected individuals will be increasing.

A data driven change-point epidemic model for assessing the impact of large gathering and subsequent movement control order on COVID-19 spread in Malaysia.

The second wave of COVID-19 in Malaysia is largely attributed to a four-day mass gathering held in Sri Petaling from February 27, 2020, which contributed to an exponential rise of COVID-19 cases in the country. Starting from March 18, 2020, the Malaysian government introduced four consecutive phases of a Movement Control Order (MCO) to stem the spread of COVID-19. The MCO was implemented through various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). The reported number of cases reached its peak by the first week of April and then started to reduce, hence proving the effectiveness of the MCO. To gain a quantitative understanding of the effect of MCO on the dynamics of COVID-19, this paper develops a class of mathematical models to capture the disease spread before and after MCO implementation in Malaysia. A heterogeneous variant of the Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) model is developed with additional compartments for asymptomatic transmission. Further, a change-point is incorporated to model disease dynamics before and after intervention which is inferred based on data. Related statistical analyses for inference are developed in a Bayesian framework and are able to provide quantitative assessments of (1) the impact of the Sri Petaling gathering, and (2) the extent of decreasing transmission during the MCO period. The analysis here also quantitatively demonstrates how quickly transmission rates fall under effective NPI implementation within a short time period. The models and methodology used provided important insights into the nature of local transmissions to decision makers in the Ministry of Health, Malaysia.