DOMESTIC tourism is not the cause for the spike in Covid-19 cases among interstate travellers, said the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH).

It was responding to director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah’s statement yesterday said the government had detected 3,170 cases as a result of cross-state activities since January 1. 

MAH said this amounted to 0.95% of the total number of cases in the country. 

It said cases involving interstate travel were from prisons and travel for a funeral. 

“This number (3,170 cases) might seem high but among the clusters contributing the high cases are Tembok Mempaga in Pahang with 808 cases, followed by Pasai in Sarawak with 2,693 cases and Tembok Bukit Besi in Terengganu with 443 cases.  

“The Tembok Mempaga cluster involves the transfer of a new detainee to the Bentong Prison, while the Pasai cluster involves an individual who did not follow quarantine instructions and the Tembok Bukit Besi cluster involves the Dungun correctional centre.  

“These three clusters alone accounted for 3,944 cases,” MAH said in a statement. 

Noor Hisham yesterday said the interstate cases refer to Covid-19 infections reported in one state but are believed to have originated from other states as a result of cross-state activities. 

In light of this, MAH is urging the government to allow targeted and controlled cross-state movements. 

The association said the industry had been operating safely when the recovery movement-control order (RMCO) was imposed and that hotels complied with all safety and standard operating procedure (SOP) determined by the government and National Security Council (NSC).  

“It is clear that the high prevalence of Covid-19 cases involving cross-state activities is not due to domestic tourism movements where the same situation was also controlled during the RMCO implemented in June to September 2020.  

“The tourism industry, especially hotels, has complied with all SOP determined by the government and the NSC, and MAH has also introduced the ‘Clean & Safe Malaysia’ hygiene and health certification for the accommodation sector, which is supported by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac). 

“The industry hopes that the government and NSC will allow targeted and controlled cross-state movement. MAH has also submitted additional SOP proposals to Motac with a coordinated movement mechanism between hotel check-in time and MySejahtera application either by private vehicle or flight. 

MAH added that the government may also grant cross-state permits to individuals attending meetings, incentives conventions or exhibitions with early registration and hotel room reservations. 

With the tourism industry the most affected and desperately needs to generate revenue, MAH said the domestic market is the industry’s only hope to survive until international tourism recovers. – March 22, 2021.