Interstate travel permitted for the fully vaccinated beginning today
Interstate travel will be allowed for those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 starting today (Oct 11). The decision to lift the restriction on interstate movement, said Ismail Sabri, was made after the vaccination coverage involving adult population in the country reached 90%. Ismail Sabri said interstate travel, however, was not allowed for localities placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) even for those who have been fully inoculated. He also stressed that those who have yet to complete their vaccination or refused to get vaccinated were not allowed to travel interstate. With the restrictions on movement between states lifted, Ismail Sabri also announced that fully vaccinated people would be allowed to travel to any states in the country for tourism purposes. “I would like to also remind all that Act 342 (The Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988) is still being enforced and those who failed to comply with the SOP will be taken actions according to this Act,” he said. Ismail Sabri added that although there will be no more police roadblocks at the state borders, authorities may conduct random spot checks to ensure the vaccination status of the travellers. (NST Online)
MyTravelPass no longer required for M’sians
Malaysians will be allowed to travel overseas without going through the Immigration Department’s MyTravelPass beginning today, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. “The decision to allow Malaysians to travel overseas is to connect separated family members and couples. It is also for Malaysians travelling overseas for the purposes of work and business. However, overseas travel will only be allowed for those who are fully inoculated,” he said. Ismail Sabri said fully-vaccinated Malaysians who were returning to the country must be tested for Covid-19 three days before their departure, and again upon arriving in the country. However, Ismail Sabri said this does not mean that Malaysian borders have been reopened for international tourists. Ismail Sabri said a decision has yet to be made on the reopening of international tourism in Malaysia; the announcement would be made after more studies were conducted by the Health Ministry. (The Star Online)
MoH ready with SOPs for Melaka election — Khairy
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has prepared the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the Melaka election and is ready to discuss with the Election Commission (EC) if the polls are given the go-ahead. Its Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said however, the MoH is still waiting for the Cabinet’s decision on the matter before the SOPs were scrutinised. The EC received an official notification on the dissolution of the 14th Melaka State Legislative Assembly last Monday from State Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh, following the move by four assemblymen in declaring that they had lost confidence in Chief Minister Datuk Sulaiman Md Ali’s leadership, hence causing the state government led by Barisan Nasional (BN) to collapse. (The Edge)
Big Tech payment process in Malaysia grew 170% during pandemic
Payment process by major technology companies (Big Tech) in Malaysia has grown by about 170 per cent since the pandemic began, due to its lower complexity, universal demand and lower trust barriers, said Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Datuk Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus. She said developmental policies have also eased the entry of Big Tech payment process, including policies that foster interoperability through common national infrastructure and an open entry policy for new entrants in the payment sphere. “The Big Tech payment process has outpaced the overall growth in e-payments of about 20%. However, in terms of absolute value, it only accounts for a marginal portion of the overall value of e-payments at less than 0.2%. Online banking remains the dominant method of transferring value digitally in Malaysia, while beyond payment, the extent of Big Tech disruption in other financial services is still limited,” she said. (Malay Mail)
Sandakan poised to be second city in Sabah, says deputy CM
Sandakan is poised to become the second city in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu when all the criteria as a city are met, says deputy chief minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin. Following this, a soft-launch of Sandakan as a city is expected to be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob this month. Sandakan’s Committee on Economic Development and Investment (JPEPS) had agreed to announce Sandakan as a city on February 22. Bung Moktar, who is also JPEPS chairman said various plans to upgrade Sandakan Municipal Council as a city hall had been planned, including creating a private hospital and ensuring adequate housing, apart from the development of public infrastructure facilities. (Malay Mail)
New permanent forest reserve gazetted in Mukim Petaling
An area of 23.83 hectares in Mukim Petaling, Kuala Lumpur has been gazetted as a new Permanent Forest Reserve (PFR) under the National Forestry Act 1984 (Act 313). Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said the PFR, to be known as the Sungai Besi (Additional) Forest Reserve, was to replace the 7.48-hectare Bukit Sungei Puteh Forest Reserve in Mukim Cheras, Kuala Lumpur which was degazetted for the development of the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) on the same date. He said the PFR was gazetted as a protected forest and classified as a research, amenity and education forest under subsection 10(1) of Act 313 and was also declared as a closed forest under Section 45 of the same act. According to Takiyuddin, the Sungai Besi (Additional) Forest Reserve is larger than the Bukit Sungei Puteh Forest Reserve which had been degazetted and is a lowland dipterocarp forest. (The Edge)
