THE Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is urging Putrajaya to lockdown the country to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. 

MATTA president Tan Kok Liang said other countries are carrying out lockdowns to battle the flu-like disease. 

“An all-out war requires the entire country to be locked down and this is what many European nations have already done and more countries are expected to follow suit.

“The global outbreak of the coronavirus has reached a scale where nations have to take bold and drastic measures,” he said in a statement. 

Malaysia saw a spike of 190 new cases yesterday, bringing the number of infections to 428. 

Tan said more effective measures are needed, and the country could adopt some from overseas, as the virus has now spread to over 155 countries. 

“The lockdown should provide sufficient notice and be clearly spelt out and not perceived as a 24-hour curfew, which will result in panic buying and hoarding. 

“Also, mechanisms must be in place to prevent or reduce unnecessary hardships to the rakyat as well as remaining tourists still holidaying in Malaysia.”

As for the tourism industry, he said there is little left to salvage and it would be better to press the reset button by placing hygiene, safety and security as top priorities and restore confidence for holidaymakers.

“When our country is all set, Malaysia will be recognised as one of the safest destinations to visit and Malaysians too would be welcomed in many countries when the situation normalises. 

“For countries that are proactive in dealing with this crisis, tourism may rebound as fast as it had plunged, while others that take piecemeal actions will somewhat find it difficult to rebound.”

He said it is an opportune time for the new government to rally the people. 

“As it is our moral and social responsibility to place human lives first, all MATTA Fairs scheduled in Kuala Lumpur and in various states throughout the country have been deferred until the country returns to normalcy. 

“They include MATTA Fair Cuti Cuti Malaysia that will not be held on April 4 to 5, and MATTA Fair Kuala Lumpur will not be held on May 1 to 3.”

Tan said the Malaysia Travel Fair held recently at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre from March 13 to 15 was organised by a different association.

“It was registered as Persatuan Agensi Pelancongan Malaysia and calling itself as MATA. 

“It has nothing to do with MATTA.” – March 16, 2020.