MALACCA will move to phase 2 while Negri Sembilan will proceed into phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) from September 4, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.

He said this was decided at the Special Committee for Covid-19 meeting.

Among the indicators that will be considered for the transition of phases are hospital admissions.

Daily hospital admissions of symptomatic cases will have to be at 6.1 per 100,000 population, or 2,000 new symptomatic admissions for the transition from phase 1 to 2, and 3.0 per 100,000 population or 1,000 new symptomatic admissions nationwide for the transition from phase 2 to 3.

Ismail also said that the committee has decided to reopen the domestic tourism sector with the travel bubble programme that will begin in Langkawi.

“I would like to inform that the committee has decided to open the tourism sector at a few destinations with conditions under the travel bubble programme,” he said in a statement.

“For a start, Langkawi has been chosen for the pilot run, which will be open to domestic tourists from September 16,” he said.

He said other tourism destinations will be allowed to operate once local vaccination coverage hits 80%.

Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) chief executive officer Nasaruddin Abdul Mutalib told The Malaysian Insight recently that the island was gearing up to welcome its first group of domestic tourists from September 16 onwards as part of the government’s tourism bubble initiative.

The island had initially planned to open to tourists on September 1, but this was delayed due to an increase of Covid-19 cases in the community.

To date, around 89% of Langkawi’s residents have been fully inoculated.

All states are expected to hit an average vaccination coverage of 80% of its adult population by the end of September, he said.

“I believe the vaccination coverage will hit 100% by end of October 2021, and therefore giving full protection to the Malaysian family,” he added.

In his first press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, Ismail said the six states with the lowest vaccination coverage will have to inoculate more than 50% of its population by end-September.

Ismail also said that the people should be prepared to live with Covid-19 being endemic.

“The Health Ministry has been asked to present a suitable new pandemic and endemic strategy in addition to the compliance of standard operating procedure,” he said.

He also welcomed the Health Ministry’s proposal for behavioural changes.

“The Malaysian Family must realise that eventually we will have to live with Covid-19 like the rest of the world,” he said.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said yesterday that Malaysia is likely to enter the endemic phase by end-October. – September 2, 2021.