There’s hope but be patient, Khairy says on interstate travel

There is still hope for Malaysians, including single individuals, to be allowed to travel interstate in the near future, but everyone must be patient for the time being, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.

He said discussions had been held with health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, and that the SOPs for the relaxation would be presented to the National Security Council (NSC) soon.

“We will present it to the NSC in the near future. There is hope (for interstate travel). I ask everyone to be patient for a bit. It is all there (SOPs), just give us a bit more time. We all know that allowing (interstate travel) is like asking for trouble.

“There are states with vaccination threshold rates that are still a little low. By the end of September, all states will reach the threshold rate of 60% of the adult population who have completed their vaccination. Just a little bit more, be patient,” he said in a special interview at his ministry today.

Khairy said several SOP relaxations would also be announced in the near future, including allowing cinemas to operate, and to open to individuals who have completed their vaccination.

On Wednesday, the Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors had appealed to the government to consider the matter, as cinemas have been closed for more than a year since March 2020, with losses of more than RM600 million.

Meanwhile, Khairy said that new SOPs would be announced, including on ventilation in public buildings.

“Ventilation SOPs will be part of the new (SOPs). It will be crucial. We are working out what are the minimum requirements for public buildings. That is the key performance indicator for another ministry but we will insist on it,” he said.