KUALA LUMPUR – Experts and stakeholders from various fields have agreed that it is high time the government begins phasing out its MyTravelPass (MTP) scheme.
As the government looks to declare the Covid-19 situation endemic by the end of October, they have signalled that the loosening of restrictions on overseas travel for Malaysians will bode well for the country on numerous fronts.
And after nearly 20 months of unprecedented domestic and international travel restrictions, they have indicated that the county is ready to have Malaysians go abroad and return as they wish.
Their comments also come after a news site reported that the cabinet has decided to scrap the MTP scheme, which required Malaysians to obtain a pass from the Immigration Department.
Also, many have found the process to be burdensome as the Immigration Department had extended the application requirements from seven days to 14 days due to high volumes of applicants.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said the cabinet's reported decision is indeed a good initiative going forward.
“In the first place, why bother to curb travellers leaving Malaysia? It’s good to stop it. However, MyTravelPass may have its purpose in monitoring travellers coming into Malaysia,” he told The Vibes.
Tan also voiced his disagreement that local players such as agents, vendors, and hoteliers will be able to recover if MTP is still enforced, seeing that the pass is mostly meant for international travel.
“It is just an inconvenient procedure.”
Meanwhile, Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, the chief economist at Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd, said the impending removal of the scheme was a sign of good things to come, although the country needed to tread the matter with caution.
He pointed out that from a pure economic standpoint, the end of the scheme will be good as it will resuscitate demands for travel agencies, airlines, and other ancillary services.
“On the contrary, it could lead to higher risks of infection. Therefore, it has to be implemented carefully,” he warned.
Last week, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the implementation of the MTP is to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the country, adding the scheme introduced in October last year has succeeded in curbing cross-border virus transmissions.
He said the evidence was clear when only 4,769 Covid-19 positive cases or 0.22% out of a total of 2,127,934 cases were imported cases.
He added that his ministry, through the Immigration Department, is reviewing the conditions of the MTP scheme, which will be tabled at the next National Security Council meeting.
However, DAP MPs urged the government to abolish MTP, insisting the system is no longer relevant.
Damansara MP Tony Pua said there should be a change in protocol as the Covid-19 situation has changed.
“The situation is not the same anymore now. Covid-19 is now within the community and there are more and more cases of the Delta variant,” Pua told a press conference last week.
Pua added those returning from overseas must undergo self-quarantine, in accordance with the standard operating procedures and “not bureaucratic procedures, which are in place now through the MTP application from the Immigration Department”.
Dr Sanjay Rampal, a specialist on public health medicine and professor of epidemiology at Universiti Malaya’s Social and Preventive Medicine Department, said the government’s decision would be good for the country in the long term and reduce bureaucracy as travel normalises.
“There will always be Covid-19 infections, we just have to co-exist with it in the most sustainable manner,” Dr Sanjay said.
Asked whether he thought enforcement on quarantine of overseas returnees and foreign visitors should be made a priority upon arrival to Malaysia, Dr Sanjay said they must also be immunised beforehand.
“Vaccination is most important. Quarantine period may also be shortened in the future to between five and seven days with testing on the last day of quarantine.” – The Vibes, September 27, 2021
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