LANGKAWI – Despite still being in the red zone with 971 active cases as of yesterday, Langkawi is optimistic it can reopen its borders to tourists next month.
State tourism, arts and culture exco Mohd Firdaus Ahmad told The Vibes that despite the surge in cases, everything else is on schedule for the reopening of tourism activities.
“Right now Langkawi is in the red zone, but it does not affect the vaccination process here. More than 65,000 of the people in Langkawi have received their first dose, and more than 29,000 have received their second dose.
“Today, we started on second-dose vaccinations, and we will continue to see an increase in the number,” he said.
Langkawi is set to reach herd immunity by September, which means 80% of its population will be vaccinated.
“Once that is achieved, we will appeal to the Health Ministry and agencies responsible to assess and reconsider our application to open our borders to tourists.
“Our target is to open in September, earliest, and the latest is by October.”
Meanwhile, steps taken by the state to control the virus is to ensure the enhanced movement control order in Bukit Malut here is done properly.
“It is all under control. There has not been a rapid increase in cases since this regulation started. We will see a drop in cases as soon as possible once there is a ramp-up of vaccinations at the infection hotspots.”
The largest vaccination centre here, Langkawi International Convention Centre, is now open to walk-ins. – The Vibes, August 7, 2021
