Inter-state travel allowed in Malaysia once again

After nearly 9 months since inter-state travel was banned in Malaysia, effective 13 Jan 2021, the restrictions have finally been lifted - with conditions, of course.

From 11 Oct 2021 onwards, Malaysians are once again able to cross state borders (not counting the Langkawi tourism bubble which was open earlier since 16 Sept 2021) and go everywhere as usual, except for areas under EMCO. This applies to fully vaccinated individuals above 18, which specifically means 14 days after the 2nd dose of Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca or Sinovac, or 28 days after the single-dose Cansino or Johnson-Johnson. SOP still mandates wearing masks out in the open and all public places, though now there's some allowance for sports, recreation and dine-in. Based on experience, SOP's can be quite vague and also can (have) changed without prior notice, so always check often for the latest updates so not be caught non-complying. The announcement can be found here on the Malaysian Ministry of Health Covid-19 website, though it's in Bahasa Malaysia.

For many, this is a welcomed release, to finally be able to re-unite with their families and loved-ones, or simply to travel for leisure and food once again. Traditionally popular destinations like Penang and Melaka are expected to be swamped with domestic tourists, even without Singaporeans, might be over-crowded and jammed this weekend. Good news to the food and beverage, accommodation and tourism players, as business will start to thrive once again.

On the down side, besides the annoying the local residents with the influx of traffic, I for one am mostly concerned with the risks of exposure and spread of infection. It's bad enough that many people do not wear their face mask properly (if at all) in the past - can only expect this will become more rampant in the coming weeks. Some people have too much faith in vaccines - not forgetting that even fully vaccinated people may spread the virus to others, so I think it's very rude and inconsiderate for these people to behave the way they do.

Apart from the risk of spreading the virus, I'm also concerned on road safety, for two reasons. Firstly, there will be way too many cars on the road now. And secondly, some of these people have not been driving for a long time, or have been driving inconsiderately in the past months where there were very few cars on the road. I see many traffic offenders (not only motorcycles) overtaking on double lines, speeding, going against traffic, beating red lights, etc.. The authorities really need to step up on enforcement, and not pass the buck to the public to send photos, videos to them.

Lastly, hate to break the news to the local tourists, but many food sellers and restaurants have gone under during these difficult times. Your favourite Satay Celup or Char Kuey Teow may no longer be in business, so don't get your hopes too high when you go all the way in search of food.

What are my plans?

Well, for starters, my priorities will be on transitioning back to work-in-office. We're starting off with a 2 shift weekly rotation first, and let's see how's the long-term plan (hybrid working model or full back to normal?). The kids will be resuming their classes too, also in a 2 shift weekly rotation - the challenge will be that these shifts are not going to be synchronized, so will require some effort and co-ordination.

I don't plan to travel yet - would rather let the initial crazy spike taper off and stabilize first. Also, to check if having more than 90% of the adult population fully vaccinated really helps to prevent another wave. And not forgetting to allow for more time to generate more statistics on vaccine efficacy - not all vaccines are equal in this respect, though all the approved vaccines in Malaysia are effective at preventing severe symptoms or hospitalization. Just hope that vaccines other than Sinovac will finally be accessible to the public ASAP....

Eventually, will be able to slowly transition back to normality and restart some old interests and hobbies that have been put into stasis for the past ~2 years.

Well, to all of you, whether in Malaysia or not, stay safe and be well!