KOTA KINABALU – Sabah is still waiting for feedback from Singapore on plans to establish a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL), even as the East Malaysian state registers low daily Covid-19 infections, an assistant minister told the State legislative assembly today.
Last week, the federal government said it will impose “test and release” protocols for visitors from Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia arriving by air at the Kuala Lumpur and Penang international airports from March 16, as part of the transition to the endemic phase of Covid-19, starting April 1.
Sabah Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said the state government has been in constant engagement with tourism and aviation players, and that they are all ready for the state’s border to be reopened.
Joniston said Sabah has already requested for a VTL with Singapore but has “not been updated” on the status of their request.
The minister was responding to a question by appointed assemblyman Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee (Sapp), who said Sabahans end up having to transit at Kuala Lumpur International Airport en route to Singapore, despite the lower daily Covid-19 cases reported compared to Selangor, where the airport is located.
Selangor recorded a 7-day average of 6,897 cases as of yesterday, according to the Health Ministry’s CovidNow database, compared to an average caseload of 578 in Sabah over the same period.
“Selangor’s Covid-19 cases are much higher than Sabah. They are in the thousands. As of last night, our cases were only around 400,” Yong said during question time.
“I wish to congratulate the state government for bringing the cases down. So why do we have to wait now?” he said. – The Vibes, March 21, 2022
