BATU GAJAH – Pulau Pangkor is expected to reopen to fully vaccinated tourists on November 1, said Perak Housing, Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi.
However, she said, the decision is subject to National Security Council approval after all the required information and standard operating procedures have been tabled by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
“Based on the latest information, only 87 of the island’s 8,026 residents, including tour operators, have yet to be vaccinated due to health problems, or are undergoing quarantine after being in close contact with Covid-19 patients or having contracted the virus themselves.
“We have not yet hit the percentage of people who must be vaccinated in order to attain herd immunity,” she told reporters here today.
To attain herd immunity, Pangkor, which as an overall population of 11,500, must have at least 8,026 of them fully vaccinated.
In July, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Syukri said Phase 2 of the ministry’s Covid-19-Free Destination Programme will be extended to the island resorts of Redang, Perhentian, Tioman and Pangkor.
Langkawi is slated to reopen on September 16. – Bernama, September 12, 2021