Police and army personnel man a roadblock at KM34 of the Federal Highway in Kuala Lumpur June 2, 2021. – Picture by Hari Anggara
KOTA KINABALU, Oct 10 — The Sabah state government will decide whether to lift restrictions on interstate travel in a meeting on Wednesday, said Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in a special address announced that individuals who have completed the Covid-19 vaccination are allowed to make interstate travel from tomorrow without obtaining a police permit.
Masidi, who is the state Covid-19 spokesperson said the state Disaster Management Committee would consider the federal government’s decision regarding the matter and submit relevant proposals to the state cabinet at the meeting.
He said the Sabah adult population vaccination rate has yet to reach 90 per cent, which is the prerequisite of the federal government’s decision in allowing interstate travel.
According to the Ministry of Health’s Covidnow website, as of 11.19am today, only 64.6 per cent of Sabahans have been fully vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.
“The state government’s decision (on interstate travel) will be announced on Wednesday after the state cabinet meeting, and consideration will be made accordingly in the interest of all parties, especially the people of Sabah,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.
Under the Malaysia Agreement 1963, Malaysians from the Peninsular require a permit from the state government if they want to enter Sabah.
Meanwhile, Masidi said Sabah recorded 562 new Covid-19 cases compared to 761 cases yesterday.
He said, regardless of the drop, Sabahans should continue to comply with standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent cases from increasing.
“The percentage of cases detected through symptomatic screening remains high today, almost 34 per cent, this is a reminder to the community to always comply with all SOPs at all times to avoid being infected with the Covid-19 virus,” he said.
He said of the cases recorded today, category two cases stood at almost 79 per cent (443 cases), category one at 14.8 per cent (83 cases), category three (4 cases), and three cases each were from categories four and five, adding that the remaining cases were still under investigation. — Bernama