BY: NOORASHIKIN MD ISHAK

There appears to be a growing trend lately to stigmatize people who have been infected with the Covid-19 virus although anyone can be a victim of this virus because it does not select or choose who it wants to infect.

This alone is reason to absolve anyone who has been infected of guilt and condemnation. Even despite the strictest compliance to the standard operating procedures and maintaining a high level of cleanliness and hygiene there are people still getting infected.

If anyone is to be blamed for anything regarding the Covid-19 pandemic it is the people who created the outbreak, if as many people believe it is man made, and not due to natural causes such as from animals.

It is really basic human nature to stigmatize people over various factors and before people do this they must stop and think if what they are doing is right and helpful or merely creating more or adding unnecessary problems.

Malaysians are known to subscribe to the pack mentality or herd mentality whereby when one monkey scratches his backside every other monkey wants to follow and scratch their backsides.

This is why it takes only one person to stigmatize someone and the rest will follow.

It is time to break this vicious cycle of stigmatizing Covid-19 patients for being infected by spreading the right information and counsel to the general public of Malaysians for them to be made aware and educated that this is wrong.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher