Over the weekend, the newly developed Hotspot Identification by Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) – an analytic tool managed by the Health Ministry’s Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre – published its first list of potential Covid-19 hotspots.
The list comprised major shopping malls and supermarkets in the Klang Valley and other cities nationwide.
Following the publication of the list, premises owners are required to take various actions to prevent clusters from forming. But whether those actions included closing the premises quickly became a matter of contention and confusion.
Different announcements were made by the authorities, leading to some malls announcing their closure, and within hours, announcing their re-opening.
Customers, shoppers, mall tenants and operators were left confused, causing much distress and substantial business losses.
The stigma of being listed cannot be underestimated, with businesses already struggling potentially sustaining their final blow.
Malls and supermarkets cater to thousands of customers every day.
It’s an industry that offers employment to more than 1.5 million workers and accounts for more than RM90 billion sales nationwide.
Their operation can’t simply be turned on and off like a light switch. They require prior warning, preparations, detailed communications and meticulous organisation before any change in business operations, is made.
There are plenty of repercussions and consequences of such U-turn directives on these establishments.
The objective of HIDE is vital and crucial in preventing Covid-19 clusters, and in saving lives.
Such an initiative must be fully supported and expanded, but what is not clear to many is how HIDE formulates its list and what exact data are entered into its artificial intelligence (AI) system.
It was reported by the media that based on the Health Ministry’s data from April 9 to May 8, shops, malls, and markets combined only contributed 0.8 per cent of these cluster-linked cases.
As such, would disrupting such a massive national industry, affecting the livelihood of millions of workers and retailers nationwide, suppress the spread of Covid-19?
Due to the large size of their premises, will these establishments repeatedly be on HIDE’s list? Will the HIDE list take any customised features of these establishments in coming up with a tailored list?
The World Health Organisation said Covid-19 infections are mainly transmitted through close contact between people, typically within 1 metre.
The virus can also spread in poorly ventilated and/or crowded indoor settings, where people tend to spend longer periods of time. This is because aerosols remain suspended in the air or travel farther than 1 metre in such areas.
Malls and supermarkets come in many sizes, configurations, ventilation settings and crowd densities, which may vary at different times or days.
Typically, their spaces are large with high roofs and massive wide entrances.
The risk of Covid-19 spread indoors is affected by various factors.
A newly developed model looks at factors such as the size of the space, the kinds of activities, whether masks are worn, and the ventilation and filtration rates.
The number of people who had been potentially exposed to individuals infected with Covid-19, checking in via the MySejahtera mobile application, is only part of the potential risk.
Another way of monitoring the indoor threat of a Covid-19 infection is by using carbon dioxide monitors.
There is considerable research data to link lower carbon dioxide levels to decreasing risk of Covid-19 transmission as a proxy of well-ventilated buildings.
We have, on one hand, a dangerous virus that had already killed many, and decimated economies globally. On the other hand, life must go on.
Finding the middle path is crucial, although it’s the most challenging of tasks with a constantly moving target.
Incorporating these customised solutions, working with critical industries, protecting jobs, businesses and livelihoods by continually adapting, are not only logical but an integral strategy as we move forward.
The ‘one-approach-fits-all’ concept always suffers from overarching bias and inaccuracy when applied across multiple industries and businesses.
Using blunt strategies such closures, lockdowns, movement control orders or a unilateral analysis without taking into account individual factors or features of places or buildings, not only may be inaccurate but may result in considerable unintended consequences.
Consistent predictable policies, working hand in hand with stakeholders in implementing decisions and guidelines, and taking practical considerations into account are the only way out if we are to end this battle against the pandemic.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.
