‘People must remain on high alert’

PETALING JAYA: The people should continue to remain cautious and adhere to strict SOP at all times when interstate travel is allowed, say health experts.

Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman said the reopening of interstate travel is justified but people should continue to remain on high alert.

She believed that the decision to be made by the government to allow interstate travel or reopening of borders would be based on risk assessment and vaccination rates as well as important clinical and hospital indicators.

“Currently, trends for new and active cases are in a declining pattern except for Sarawak. It would be safer for the decision to be stratified according to the state’s condition rather than one for all for the country,” she said in an interview.

Dr Malina opined that the reopening of international borders should not be an issue so long as the procedure follows the appropriate SOP.

“I think similar steps like the travel bubble to Langkawi should be imposed if interstate travel is allowed.

“This means we have to make sure those who are travelling and the persons being visited are fully vaccinated.

“If either one hasn’t, quarantine and screening tests should be made mandatory.

“At the same time, the public should avoid any event that can progress to inevitable crowds or situations where physical distancing is compromised or there is poor ventilation,” she said.

On Monday, National Recovery Council (NRC) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said interstate travel would likely be allowed in early October or latest, the middle of the month.

Muhyiddin also said they were considering reopening the country’s borders to tourists and business travellers as well as whether to allow fully vaccinated Malaysians to travel abroad.

International Islamic University Malaysia public health medicine specialist Asst Prof Dr Mohammad Farhan Rusli believed that interstate travel plays a very minimal role in the spread of Covid-19 infections.

“I must stress that it is the congregation and poor SOP compliance at gatherings that actually spread the virus.

“As we move to a stage where Covid-19 will be among us, we must learn to take the responsibility to ensure that we protect ourselves regardless of where we are,” he said.

Dr Mohammad Farhan added that a standardised national testing strategy is the way forward to move the country into a phase of living with Covid-19.

In giving differing views, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia health economics, hospital and health management Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said the government should wait a little bit longer before deciding to reopen the borders as there were still a few states with low vaccination rates and a few areas that are currently undergoing enhance movement control order.

“These states are not feasible to be allowed interstate travel,” she said when contacted.

Dr Sharifa also believed opening the country’s international borders was “not the right time”.

“We don’t even know our Delta prevalence rate in the country, although the Health director-general has highlighted that this is mainly seen in Sarawak.

“As far as we know, we have not faced the variants of concern such as Lambda and Mu but we need constant genome sequencing to determine this.

“These variants are rampant outside Malaysia. Thus, to reopen borders, we need proper surveillance and guidelines.

“Even among vaccinated travellers, Covid-19 screening and genome testing, if positive, are necessary,” she added.

Dr Sharifa said with studies showing that there is waning immunity after six to 12 months post vaccination, there is a need to know if a third booster is necessary for a group of high-risk people, for the entire population, or only for those who have been vaccinated with a certain vaccine that showed poorer defence against the Delta variant.

For interstate travel, Dr Sharifa said people should be tested negative within three days before being allowed to travel out and into the state again.

“We don’t want to become carriers to our unvaccinated families such as children under 12, and those who are not fully vaccinated,” she said.