Interstate travel still a no-go

PUTRAJAYA: No interstate travel is allowed despite more areas enjoying Covid-19 green zone status, with Kedah, Perak and Negri Sembilan set to join six states under the recovery movement control order (MCO).

With the exception of a travel bubble that has been allowed between recovery MCO areas, cross-border movement between recovery MCO states and conditional MCO states, between MCO areas, and inter-district travel in Sabah and Sarawak is still not allowed yet.

Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pic), who announced this, said Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang, Kelantan and Sarawak remain under a conditional MCO as the number of new cases remains high and most of the districts in these states are categorised as either red or amber.

Perlis, Melaka, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah, Putrajaya and Labuan are still under a recovery MCO as the number of cases are seeing a downward trend, with some states recording all green zones or no red zones.

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“The latest status including the change from conditional to recovery MCO will take effect from March 19-31, ” he said in his media briefing yesterday.

Sarawak’s conditional MCO is effective for 14 days from March 16.

For Kedah, only two districts remain under a conditional MCO as active clusters are still being recorded in Kuala Muda and Kulim.

Ismail Sabri also said the MCO technical committee has agreed to allow activities associated with the month of Ramadan such as terawih prayers and bazaars to operate, subject to a strict standard operating procedure (SOP).

“We have listened to requests and appeals from the public and have decided to allow these activities. What is important is for everyone to follow the SOP, ” he added.

The SOP includes Ramadan and Aidilfitri bazaars being held in open spaces with different entry and exit lanes, registration via the MySejahtera app, and operational hours from 3pm to 10pm for Ramadan bazaars and 10am to midnight for Aidilfitri bazaars.

While the government will allow terawih prayers, the number in a congregation will be determined by the state religious authorities.

On the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, Ismail Sabri said that to date, 5.633 million people have registered to be vaccinated.

Registration can be made through five methods: via MySejahtera, the 1800-888-828 hotline, the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee official website, at public and private health clinics, and through assistance programmes for those staying in rural areas by agencies such as the Welfare Department.