PORT DICKSON – The sky was blue. The sun was out. The breeze was warm and cosy, and the gentle swash of the waves was nothing but alluring. It was the perfect weather to frolic at the beach and indeed the locals in Negri Sembilan did just that last Thursday.
Liveliness has returned to two of the four most popular sandy-white coasts in Port Dickson; the Saujana and the Teluk Kemang beaches. The latter received the bulk of the frequenters, most of whom had camped out in tents since the night before.
But while beachgoers radiated merriness following the loosening of movement restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, for the many who had been relying on the beach for an honest living, it was the opposite.
Make no mistake; they were thankful for the locals’ presence, but Getaran observed that many still sported a look of unease and worry.
“PD (what locals call Port Dickson) is a major tourist destination. The traders and peddlers here rely primarily on non-local tourists,” said Mohd Saifuddin Abu Bakar, a peddler of beach toys and other recreational playthings.
Saifuddin, like many who were regarded as non-essential workers, has been forced to temporarily close shop due to the consecutively imposed movement control orders. He has been out of business for a total of 11 months.
“I’m grateful that the government finally allows inter-district travel. But many here cannot sustain their businesses without the patronage of non-local tourists,” added Saifuddin. He has been selling his wares at Saujana beach since 2017.
For now, in Malaysia, the only tourist destination that has been opened to non-locals is the Kedah island of Langkawi – albeit with strict caveats as per the government’s travel bubble pilot project.
Among the many stipulated conditions, the luxury of a holiday in Langkawi is accorded to not only those who completed their Covid-19 vaccination but must also reside in areas that are not under the enforced movement control order (EMCO).
On day one of the pilot project’s commencement – September 16 – five individuals were denied entry into Langkawi as they were screened positive for Covid-19.
If the Langkawi travel bubble succeeds, the government will open more tourist destinations for the public, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein after chairing a ministerial meeting on Covid-19 on Monday.
And the said success is being prayed and hoped upon by the tourism players in Port Dickson.
The manager of the PD Ostrich Show Farm, Chris Lee, was one of them.
“We have been in an unfortunate and disruptive cycle of closing and re-opening our business for up to 12 months. And despite the closure, we still have to feed the animals and fertilise the plants.
“Due to Covid-19, the shipment cost for bran kept increasing. It spikes every month,” moaned the 65-year-old former New Straits Times journalist.
Like Mohd Saifuddin, Lee believed that the situation is improving as visitors are starting to frequent his animal petting farm-zoo. It is only a two-minute drive from the Teluk Kemang beach.
Negeri Sembilan seemed to have fared rather well compared to other southern states in the country, given its status as one of the four states to have entered Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan.
The other three states are: Perlis, Terengganu and Sarawak.
Yet, statistically, its daily infection cases over the past 10 days (from September 10 to 19) seemed to still fluctuate in a yo-yo-like trend despite experiencing a slight decrease.
In terms of SOP compliance, those frequenting the beaches in PD showed low levels of adherence. Not wearing facemasks seemed a no-brainer given the watery nature of the recreational activities done there.
At the Teluk Kemang beach, Getaran observed that, while social distancing was somewhat practised, the public still congregated into pockets of crowds along the shoreline and in the shallow waters.
Nonetheless, these non-compliances did not go unnoticed.
“We understand that wearing facemasks while playing in the sea is ridiculous. But the moment they go back to the shore, we will ask them to put it on,” said water sports agent Mohd Nasirin Nasir.
“It’s not just us. Even the local council, the police and the officers from the information department often come here to remind the public to be mindful of the SOPs.
“Now that the beach has finally been opened, those whose lives depend on it want to make sure that it stays open,” added Nasirin, who has been providing water sports services to tourists at the Teluk Kemang Beach since he was still in school. – The Vibes, September 23, 2021
