LANGKAWI – The Langkawi Business Association wants tourists to boycott establishments that fail to adhere to the standard operating procedures when the island resort reopens as a tourism destination on September 16.
Its deputy director Datuk Alexander Isaac said the association also wants visitors to lodge complaints if operators fail to follow the rules.
“We need people’s cooperation to ensure Langkawi can remain open despite the threat of Covid-19. We want people to ensure our traders are responsible.”
The spirit of “kita jaga kita” must be upheld by all, he told The Vibes.
“Those who are stubborn will end up being unable to do business if their customers boycott them because they fail to heed the SOPs.”
Alexander’s remarks come ahead of the association’s move to lobby the National Security Council (NSC) to come up with a comprehensive set of SOPS for travel trade members.
Langkawi has about 1,000 active coronavirus cases still, but the island is among the first places in the country to attain herd immunity, with up to 87% of its population of 119,000 already fully vaccinated.
Given this, NSC has allowed the island to reopen to fully immunised tourists on September 16, which is when Malaysia Day falls.
Langkawi MP and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will be on the island for the reopening.
Alexander said NSC must make known the number of quarantine facilities available for tourists who require isolation.
He disagreed with a suggestion that rapid antigen tests be administered to all visitors to the island, saying there is a chance of these visitors developing an infection days after their arrival.
“What is needed is a strong adherence to the SOPs, and to have adequate resources available to offset a possible outbreak.”
This means that hoteliers, restaurateurs and tourism operators must ensure physical distancing and masking, as well as sanitisation works every three hours, he said.
He said tourists, too, must be responsible and seek medical attention if they suspect that they are infected with Covid-19.
The Malaysian Association of Hotels’ Kedah and Perlis chapter chairman Eugene Dass said the SOPs must be strictly followed by all businesses, as this is important to protect travel trade players from legal, security and health implications. – The Vibes, September 7, 2021
