FROM Monday, there will be no states or territories left in phase 2 of the national recovery plan, as they enter phases 3 and 4 following improved Covid-19 indicators, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

Effective Monday, Kelantan, Perak, Penang, Sabah and Kedah will move from phase 2 to 3.

Malacca and the Klang Valley – which covers Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor – will move from phase 3 to 4.

Ismail Sabri said this was decided by the special committee on pandemic management at its meeting today, and is based on the high vaccination rate.

“With this, Malaysia has overall, moved to phase 3,” he said in a statement this evening.

He cited improved Covid-19 indicators, such as daily reported cases below 10,000 for the past two weeks and the virus’s reproductive value of 0.86, which means it is not spreading quickly.

As of yesterday, 91.2% of the country’s adult population has been vaccinated and this percentage is to increase further, while 95% of adults have received their first dose, he added.

In line with the relaxed phases for more states, Ismail also announced the following standard operating procedures (SOP):

• Highway rest areas will be operational for 24 hours starting tomorrow
• E-hailing vehicles can transport the maximum number of passengers according to capacity, starting tomorrow, and in all states
• Cybercafes and Internet cafes can reopen, starting Sunday, at 80% capacity in phase 3 states and 100% capacity in phase 4 states
• Meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions events can be held in-person only for fully vaccinated individuals in phase 3 states from Monday, as long as only 50% of the venue’s capacity is used and participants undergo a pre-event Covid-19 saliva or RTK-Antigen test, observe physical distancing, and are masked.

The prime minister said more detailed SOP will be released by the national security council.

According to an infographic by the council, phase 3 states from Monday are: Perlis, Terengganu, Sarawak, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Kelantan, Johor and Sabah.

Phase 4 states and territories from Monday are: Putrajaya, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Pahang, Negri Sembilan and Labuan. – October 15, 2021.