GEORGE TOWN: Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today confirmed that the state received its first flight of Indonesian medical tourists last Friday.
However, he allayed fears raised over the Covid-19 situation in Indonesia, saying that the foreigners would be required to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOP) in place to stem the transmission of the virus.
"It is all subject to the SOP. If they can comply with the SOP and they can receive clearance, I think it is allowed now," he said when asked to comment on the ongoing debate in social media on the matter.
Chow was however unable to provide details on the number of Indonesian tourists who arrived in the state.
Netizens, including the Citizens Awareness Chant Group (Chant), had questioned the timing of the tourists' arrival, more so with Indonesia still recording high number of positive Covid-19 cases daily coupled with low testing numbers.
Others had also asked on the Penang government, the Health Ministry and the National Security Council for their stand on private hospitals accepting medical tourists from Indonesia, which was deemed a Covid-19 high-risk country.
It was reported that Indonesia recorded 2,098 new Covid-19 cases within 24 hours last Thursday, bringing its tally of infections to 132,816.
The republic's death toll from the coronavirus also rose, with 65 new fatalities recorded. Its death toll now stands at 5,968.
Pressed for comment on whether it was the he right time to open up Penang's border to Indonesians, Chow replied: "All this can be reviewed from time to time."
Chow also said he had no information on when more Indonesian medical tourists would be arriving in the state.
Chow was met after officiating the Digital Promoter Coaching programme at the Senior Resource Centre here this afternoon.
It was reported last Friday that AirAsia welcomed its first international medical charter flight from Medan into Penang International Airport.
The medical charter service will be expanded to other cities in Indonesia and soon develop into an end-to-end service offering under the AirAsia.com platform.
Karen Chan, AirAsia.com chief executive officer, said amid travel restrictions in these challenging times, AirAsia was committed to connecting people to their critical needs.
The next medical charter flight from Indonesia will be from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur on Aug 24.