PUTRAJAYA: After lifting the interstate travel ban as the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) commences today, Malaysia is now looking at possibilities of cross-border travel.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said several factors, however, needed to be considered before making such a decision. One method was to allow cross-border travel using the "green bubble" countries method.
The approach, he said, would allow Malaysia to come into 'reciprocal' agreement between two green zones in allowing travel between them.
"Firstly, we will look at the global (Covid-19) index. Secondly, maybe we could start discussing this with our neighbours like Singapore, Brunei and Thailand; these are the countries that we could actually look into the standard operating procedures (SOPs). Most importantly, there should be an agreement between the two countries (in allowing traves between them).
"This is something that we can evaluate and monitor closely from time to time," he told a press conference today.
He said the government would continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation as the country entered the RMCO phase.
He stressed the need to step up surveillance at hospitals and in the community to make sure there was no sudden increase in Covid-19 cases.
"Although we have reopened the economic, social and education sectors, the monitoring process is very important. The process is ongoing. We are empowering the public to adhere to the SOPs.
"It was shown during CMCO (Conditional MCO) for example; the onus is on the public now. If they comply with the SOP, show a high level of social discipline, rest assured we can bring down the number of cases.
"And today, we are seeing the outcome (with only two new Covid-19 cases recorded), not only through the efforts by the Health Ministry, but the public as well. I hope that compliance to SOP would continue until Aug 31 (when the RMCO ends) as we are reopening all sectors.
"If we can see continuous improvement in terms of cases like what we are seeing now, then we could consider to ease border control."
Dr Noor Hisham said if the local transmissions were kept under control while all sectors reopened, the government could then focus on reviewing the border control.
One local transmission (foreigner) and imported case (Malaysian) each were recorded today, with the latter having contracted the virus while abroad.
This brings the tally of infections in the country to 8,338, the lowest reported since the Movement Control Order (MCO) commenced on March 18.
There are 1,206 Covid-19 active cases in the country, which have been isolated and were being treated.