TWO Opposition MPs have criticised the recent statement by National Recovery Council (NRC) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on the proposed reopening of the country’s borders as showing a “lack of proper communication and coordination”.
“The manner in which this announcement was handled shows the total lack of coordination and communication between the NRC chairman, the prime minister and key Cabinet ministers,” Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming and Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said.
Muhyiddin had said on Feb 8 that the NRC had proposed for Malaysia’s borders to be open to travellers without the need for quarantine as early as March 1.
However, defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein then revealed that the proposal had yet to be discussed and finalised by the Cabinet.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, in expressing his concerns that an influx of tourists may also lead to an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections, later said that the Cabinet would make a decision on the reopening of borders soon.
In calling for better coordination, Ong and Dr Yii also said that the Government’s inability to coordinate the border reopening narrative “shows the current dysfunction within the Government on important policy matters” including decisions that affect millions of jobs and livelihoods.
“The Government must set a clear and coordinated pathway towards reopening our borders safely while balancing the need to protect the health and security of our people,” they added.
To do so, they suggested that countries be categorised into different risk levels based on their COVID-19 public health response and vaccination rates.
“This will allow us to prepare specific pathways and timelines to reopen borders to each category of countries based on properly defined risk and health parameters,” they pointed out.
Ong and Dr Yii went on to recommend that vaccinated travel lanes (VTLs) be established for lower-risk countries allowing fully-vaccinated travellers into the country by showing a negative PCR test 48 or 72 hours before departure and also a rapid PCR test at port of entry in Malaysia.
Once tested negative in Malaysia, these travellers could then be released without quarantine.
They further called for the healthcare capacity to be enhanced leading up to the reopening of the borders not just in preparation for the need to re-purpose hospital beds for COVID-19 patients but also to increase the workforce to handle the possible increase in workload.
“With our high vaccination and booster rates, there should be a clear pathway towards the safe and orderly re-opening of our borders to quarantine-free travel especially among those who have been fully vaccinated and boosted. This can allow Malaysia to bounce back from this pandemic stronger and faster.” – Feb 16, 2022
