KUALA LUMPUR – The National Recovery Council (NRC) sees no problem with reopening the country’s international borders immediately, especially when hospitals are more than capable of handling current Covid-19 cases.
This is according to its chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, whose remark today comes amid a surge in infections in recent weeks, with Omicron variant cases numbers continuing to peak.
Speaking at a press conference after chairing the NRC meeting, Muhyiddin once again urged the government to lift all existing stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs) for international travellers, a move he said is key to attracting tourists and recovering the economy.
According to the former prime minister, the NRC was today informed by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin that the ministry is currently finalising new SOPs ahead of the border reopening.
An announcement will be made in the near future, pending an approval from the cabinet.
“In our last meeting, we decided to push to reopen on March 1. The decision was brought up to the cabinet then, and the Health Ministry has been tasked with formulating SOPs which I hope are more relaxed,” he said today.
It is unclear yet if the government has agreed to lift international travelling restrictions by March 1 or if it will be pushed back.
On February 8, Muhyiddin said the NRC has recommended that the borders be reopened by March 1, to assist the country's economic recovery, without any need for quarantine.
Since then, Covid-19 cases have soared to an all-time high of 28,825 last Saturday, with figures maintaining above 20,000 daily infections since February 11.
Despite this, Muhyiddin said the impact of the Omicron variant is under control, noting that hospitalisation rate is still manageable.
“The question of Omicron is faced by all countries in the world. But in Malaysia, although cases are increasing, Khairy and Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah have updated us today that severe cases are very few.
“Hospital capacity is still manageable, and our intensive care units are not burdened. So if we can manage, what’s the problem then (with reopening borders)?”
With this in mind, Muhyiddin said he sees no reason for the country to further delay reopening, particularly with many other countries having already taken similar steps.
He said the country would lose hundreds of millions of ringgit each day the borders are not reopened, noting several sectors which rely heavily on foreign travellers for income, including tourism.
On what the SOPs he hopes will be removed are, Muhyiddin gave the example of daily swab tests having to be conducted by tourists in Langkawi under the green travel bubble.
Meanwhile, when asked about the seat negotiations among Perikatan Nasional parties ahead of the Johor election, Muhyiddin said they have been concluded, with names of candidates also decided.
“We are at the final phase of vetting. We will announce them on Thursday. This will be done officially in Johor.” – The Vibes, February 22, 2022
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