Abdul Karim. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (Aug 10): Sarawak welcomes the announcement on the relaxation of travel restriction for fully vaccinated individuals within the same state for holidays under the National Recovery Plan (NRP).
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said there would be positive impacts following Sunday’s announcement by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, which also includes the federal government allowing domestic tourism activities within the same state involving homestays and hotels.
Those wishing to enter such premises must show a digital certificate of complete Covid-19 vaccination, he added.
“We fully support the reopening of hotels and homestays which were forced to close since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18 last year.
“The announcement is also a respite for our local dine-in eateries after more activities are permitted for fully vaccinated individuals in states which have moved to Phase 2 or Phase 3 of the NRP.
“The relaxation will bring positive impacts to the local workforce which can now look forward to gainful employment. This will boost the domestic economy when both employers and their employees can go to back to work,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Abdul Karim also said precautionary measures, such as hotel and homestay operators requiring those wishing to enter their premises to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination, are important and must be complied with.
On a related matter, Abdul Karim, who is also Minister of Youth and Sports, said the relaxation of outdoor recreational and sporting activities albeit subject to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) would enable the people to indulge in healthy activities with their families and friends.
He said this would promote a healthy lifestyle among the people irrespective of their backgrounds and age groups.
Even though the relaxation is confined to non-physical contacts sports such as jogging, cycling, skateboarding, fishing, golf, tennis and badminton (single events), he said it was still good news to the people especially youths who should be encouraged to participate in active lifestyle.
“The announcement on the relaxation measures is a good start for our country in moving towards resuming normalcy in our daily lives which have been impacted by Covid-19 pandemic. Together, we continue to support the government’s efforts in putting the pandemic to an end,” he said.
While the relaxations announced by Muhyiddin on Sunday takes effect today (Aug 10), the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee said yesterday that it will first seek advice from medical experts prior to approving the SOP relaxation for fully vaccinated individuals.