Putrajaya cannot wait until 70% of the population has been vaccinated before lifting the interstate and inter-district travel ban, according to tourism and hotel organisations.

This comes after health director-general Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah reportedly claimed that the domestic travel ban could be extended until at least 70% of the population has been immunize.

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta), Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), and Malaysian Tourist Guides Council (MTGC) all claimed that the industry could not afford to wait until then to allow Malaysians to travel within the country.

Matta president Tan Kok Liang described Noor Hisham's comments as "surprising" and "concerning," adding that they "effectively kill off the industry's hope for a recovery in 2021."

He also said Noor Hisham's statements were perplexing because they seemed to contradict Khairy Jamaluddin, the minister of science, technology, and innovation, who had said that a general election could be held until half the population had been immunised.

“If elections can be held, travel restrictions can be lifted. All of these incredible complexities have left us befuddled and concerned.

“Every business establishment should be able to conduct its business while adhering to the highest degree of safety standards in order to keep Covid-19 at bay. Blanket interstate and inter-district travel restrictions should not be levied on innocent and responsible travelers.”

Tan said that if Putrajaya stood firm in its decision to only open state borders after 70% of the population had been immunised, the government owed the tourism industry more assistance and compensation.

MAH president N Subramaniam said that the hotel industry could not wait another month for state borders to open, and that if interstate travel is not permitted after March 4, more hotels will close.

He warned Putrajaya that more people would lose their employment and sources of income as a result of this, and that the government needed to strike a balance between lives and livelihood.

“In Malaysia, only 80% of the population is projected to be vaccinated by the first quarter of 2022, according to estimates. If we adhere to that timetable, the whole industry will be shut down.

“Keep in mind that the government has given no new or additional assistance to the tourism and hotel sectors, and the wage subsidy scheme is due to expire in March.”

President of the MTGC Jimmy Leong claims that maintaining strict individual adherence to standard operating procedures, rather than limiting domestic travel, is a safer and more efficient way to prevent the virus from spreading.

If Putrajaya wants to make the reopening of MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) activities a success, he says the domestic travel ban must be lifted.

“With virtually all international borders closed, interstate travel is the only source of income for the vast majority of the economy. The government must comprehend the challenges that corporations and individuals face.

“Right now, the safest way is to ease border crossing restrictions while focusing tight restrictions on areas with new clusters.”

The decision to reopen state borders late last year, according to Noor Hisham, taught a lesson because it resulted in Covid-19 outbreaks in "green states" like Kedah, Terengganu, and Kelantan.

“We may consider reopening borders once 70 percent of the population has been vaccinated,” he said on Friday.

‘Excessive caution can cause undue harm.'

The Malaysian Institute of Economic Research's Shankaran Nambiar believes the government should rethink the travel ban in light of the risks involved.

“The ban has had a huge effect on different sectors of the economy,” he said. “It has also taken a toll on much of the rural economy.”

While caution is required in areas where Covid-19 clusters are dense, he believes that travel between green states should be permitted because excessive caution could harm the economy if the government waits until February 2022 to achieve herd immunity.

The government's goal, according to former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye, should be to monitor the pandemic, not the rakyat's movement. “Once the vaccine is administered to 50% of the population, infectivity should decrease,” he said.

According to Lee, vaccination of high-risk groups combined with existing procedures should be sufficient to control the pandemic, allowing the economy and domestic travel to resume.

Other countries' vaccination systems, such as those in Israel, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, should be emulated by the government. “The preliminary data is very encouraging.”

Shaun Edward Cheah, executive director of the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told FMT that domestic tourism will help the economy recover quickly and effectively.

Given that infectious diseases were here to stay, locking up the rakyat would not help them keep up with new norms or good health practices.

“In the long term, being healthy against noncommunicable diseases is a safer vaccine.”

Dr. Subramaniam Muniandy, president of the Malaysian Medical Association, said the 70 percent herd immunity figure is only a guideline. “We expect the health ministry to keep an eye on the research and make a decision once enough data is gathered,” he said.