SOPs for social activities to ease for fully vaccinated from Aug 10

SOPs for social activities will be eased from Aug 10 onwards for those who have completed the full dosage of Covid-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced today.

Among others, prayer congregations at houses of worship will be allowed subject to SOPs, as well as home quarantine for travellers returning to Malaysia.

Parents will be allowed to travel to visit children below 18 years of age while married couples living apart will also be allowed to cross district or state lines to meet up.

Meanwhile, those in states currently under the second phase of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) will be allowed inter-district travel, dine-in at restaurants as well as participation in selected sports activities.

Domestic tourism activities within the state will also be allowed for homestays and hotels.

Muhyiddin said facilities for the economic sector are being discussed at the National Security Council and will be announced in the near future.

“These facilities do not mean we can ignore the SOPs,” he said.

“We will not hesitate to revoke these facilities if there are violations of SOP guidelines.”

He also said the decision to ease SOPs took into account the negligible percentage of Covid-19 cases which require hospitalisation, adding that the government is treading carefully in consultation with health authorities.

For those who receive two-dose vaccines such as Pfizer, Sinovac and AstraZeneca, he said they are considered fully vaccinated after the 14th day from receiving the second dose.

Meanwhile those who receive single-dose vaccines such as Johnson & Johnson and CanSino are considered fully vaccinated 28 days after receiving their jab.

On Aug 5, the government said it would begin using the number of new Covid-19 cases with serious symptoms as an indicator for transition into Phase Three and onwards of the NRP.

NRP coordinating minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said this would replace the indicator of new cases, using as proxy new hospital admission cases for Covid-19 adapted for Categories Three, Four and Five.

He said the number of new cases had become less relevant as the country had reached a vaccination rate of 40% among the adult population, as most cases were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.

The other key indicators are the vaccination rate and ICU utilisation rate.

Perlis, Labuan and parts of Sarawak have so far made the transition to Phase Three of the NRP.

Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah, Perak and Penang are in Phase Two.

Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya meanwhile remain in Phase One.