Tracker handy when planning trips

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PETALING JAYA: With many people expected to balik kampung or go on a vacation on the first weekend since the interstate travel ban was lifted, the Health Ministry has spelt out Covid-19 public health measures to follow while travelling and gathering with loved ones.

Reminding the public that the standard operating procedures are still in place, the Health Ministry posted several words of advice on its social media yesterday for people to follow.

Topping the list of advice is to utilise the Hotspot Tracker feature on the MySejahtera app to first check the area they are planning to go to in order to see whether there are many Covid-19 cases at the location.

“If there are, consider postponing your trip. Also, if you and your siblings are all planning to visit your parents, do so on rotation,” the post read.

The public is also advised to take a Covid-19 self-test before returning to hometowns or going for a vacation in order to ensure that they are free from the virus.

“Ensure that you and the people that you are visiting have completed their vaccination. If this hasn’t been done, postpone your trip until the period for complete vaccination has been sorted.

“If you have a fever or experience other respiratory tract infection symptoms on the day of your trip, postpone it,” it added.

The Health Ministry reminded the people to practise safety measures while out in public areas.

The public is also advised against holding large family gatherings. If there is no option but to hold one, then such gatherings should be done in an open space with hand sanitisers in place and used before any shaking or touching of hands.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Pharmacists Society president Amrahi Buang said although there had not been many changes in terms of Covid-19 self-test kit sales, awareness among Malaysians on the importance of self-screening had increased.

The Medical Device Authority has so far approved 41 brands of Covid-19 self-test kits, and the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has set the maximum retail price at RM19.90 a set, while the wholesale price is capped at RM16.

The ceiling price will be further lowered by year end to make it more affordable. These kits will soon be available at supermarkets and chain stores nationwide.

Amrahi, however, urged the government to not repeat its past mistake, when it imposed a ceiling price on the self-test kits without first informing or discussing its decision with pharmacists ahead of time.

“This resulted in losses for pharmacies as they had to absorb the cost of old stocks that were purchased at higher prices before the ceiling price was imposed,” he said.