Kedah state councillor asks for exemption to become green zone

LANGKAWI – A Kedah state executive councillor has sought approval from the Health Ministry that the island resort be given an exemption to become a green zone district in view that it does not have any cases of Covid-19 in recent weeks.

State Tourism committee chairman Firdaus Ahmad, who is the Kuah assemblyman, said that the state was appealing to the Federal Government to allow this exemption.

Although other states along the West Coast, with the exception of Perlis, are now under the conditional movement control order (CMCO) that bars inter-district travel, Firdaus hopes that the promotion of the island can begin in earnest since its economy was mostly dependent on tourism.

The island’s population of less than 90,000 also does not allow it to boost domestic consumption for the travel trade industry here because the numbers are relatively small.

“Because Langkawi is dependent on tourism, so when there are no tourists, I can say that Langkawi, as a whole, is deeply affected in terms of revenue. We will need time to revive the tourism sector.”

Firdaus said that the state has urged the Federal Government to relook at how the CMCO was implemented and for the island resort to be given an exemption.

He further stated that tourist spots and hotels are still in operation during CMCO. However, people are only allowed to travel within their district.

“If you stay in Alor Setar, you can travel within Alor Setar. This is the time to visit local spots.If you are in Langkawi and you want to ride the jet ski, you can do so,” he said, adding that contact sports are not allowed at indoor or outdoor facilities.

There will be one ferry operating, making a round trip every day. It departs Langkawi Ferry Terminal at 11am and then the return is at 3pm from Kuala Kedah.

Meanwhile, the Perlis/Kedah chapters of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) chairman Eugene Dass has called for the ferry operators to extend their trips to at least two or three times daily to accommodate the domestic tourists and travellers from within Kedah.

Dass said that people still need to move around during the CMCO for jobs and some are also keen to unwind by visiting Langkawi or mainland Kedah – The Vibes, November 12, 2020.