LANGKAWI – A tourism leader has urged the National Security Council to restrict international travellers who arrive here to just the island resort, and not allow them to travel elsewhere in the country from here in view of yet another spike in Covid-19 cases.
Ahmad Pishol Isahak, president of the Langkawi Tourism Industry Organisation, said there is widespread concern on whether the standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be effective following the easing of lockdowns and reopening of inter-state travel.
This is particularly so as the international tourist bubble to allow foreigners to the island formally commences on Monday.
“We of course want tourism to flourish but we also need to take precautions. This virus is not going away, even those who are vaccinated tend to contract it,” he said.
Pishol said that for starters, foreign tourists on short stays should be confined to Langkawi instead of being allowed to also travel to other states after a three-day stay here.
“Those on long-term visit packages can be allowed out of the island provided they are subjected to the necessary testing and safeguards,” he told The Vibes.
Pishol said that it is best to first allow passengers on chartered flights as they are easier to monitor from the onset than those on commercial flights.
Covid-19 cases surged to 6,501 cases yesterday after averaging over 4,000 earlier in the week, with the blame squarely put on inter-state travel.
There are 64,277 active cases concurrently in the country with 49 new deaths – bringing the grand total of fatalities to 29,576, as of yesterday.
Pishol urged the health and tourism ministries to provide practical and comprehensive SOPs, which stresses on strict enforcement as the best means to coexist with the virus, especially if the country migrates to the endemic phase.
“We must coexist with Covid-19, but we shouldn’t give it a free pass by becoming lackadaisical in enforcing our SOPs,” he said.
He pointed out that although government leaders preach about SOPs, the ground reality is that they are often flouted by the public as enforcers cannot be everywhere all the time.
Langkawi has been selected as the choice destination for Malaysia’s pioneering tourism bubble.
It is tailored somewhat similar to the Phuket “sandbox” concept in Thailand, where tourists arrive on the island for a certain period as a form of an informal quarantine before they are allowed to travel elsewhere with special packages designed for them.
If successful, the Malaysian tourism authorities will use the Langkawi model for other states.
The SOPs require international travellers to stay on the island for a minimum of three days with no restrictions, but they must abide by testing requirements.
They must also undergo a RT-PCR test 72 hours before their flight departs, either back to their original city or other parts of Malaysia.
The foreign tourists must also download the MySejahtera app for monitoring purposes.
They must have minimum health insurance of US$80,000 (RM332,000). Only fully vaccinated parents or guardians are allowed to accompany children below the age of 18.
Tourists arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport will be required to take a RT-PCR, while those on direct flights to Langkawi must undergo it on the second day after arrival.
Tour groups are restricted to 20 persons, and they must hire a registered tour guide.
Those staying beyond five days must also undergo a RT-PCR test on the fifth day.
Malaysia has fully vaccinated over 95% of its adult population or 76% of its total population, but Covid-19 cases have stubbornly stayed in the thousands. – The Vibes, November 13, 2021
