LANGKAWI – Langkawi MP and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is advocating for a 2m physical distance rule due to the highly infectious Delta strain as the island resort enters its fourth day of its travel bubble.
At the moment, standard operating procedures dictate physical distancing of 1m.
For the tourism bubble to succeed without another infection surge, he called on all tourists to properly distance themselves.
He said this after a briefing by the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) at The Danna resort here.
Present were Lada chief executive officer Nasaruddin Abdul Muttalib and its tourism division manager Azmil Munif Mohd Bukhari.
Dr Mahathir also urged airlines and ferry operators to increase their trip frequencies but reduce passenger load.
“Now, the tourists are seated as usual. Six in a row in aircraft. They should be separated to reinforce physical distancing. The same for ferries.”
He also wants the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia to grant exemption for direct chartered flights into Langkawi instead of a stopover at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
“This is because KLIA is not part of the bubble.”
In a statement earlier today, he said there are chartered flights scheduled for Langkawi from Singapore, Russia and Poland.
Meanwhile, he told reporters here that more studies are needed on those fully vaccinated against Covid-19 getting infected.
“We want to know why people are getting infected despite having been vaccinated. And the type of vaccines as well as the efficacy rate among the vaccines used here.”
Langkawi’s travel bubble started on Malaysia Day on September 16. All travellers are required to test for Covid-19 48 hours before departure and bring along their results.
Those travelling via sea and land have to obtain police permits while tourists coming via flights do not need permits.
Since Thursday, 10 people have been found positive during Covid-19 screening at klia2, the Penang International Airport and the Kuala Perlis ferry terminal. – The Vibes, September 19, 2021
