Interstate Tourism Allowed In Rmco States But General Travel Ban Remains

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The government today announced that it will allow interstate tourism between states under a recovery movement control order (MCO) but this can only be done through a travel agency.
The general ban on interstate travel remains in force. This means travelling across state borders is still not allowed if it is not done through a travel agency.
"They have to use the services of a tourism agency that is registered with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry," Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told a press conference in Putrajaya.
He said the vehicles used to cross states must also be registered with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
He also stressed that individuals are not allowed to cross state borders on their own.
The states under a recovery MCO are Malacca, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah, Putrajaya, Labuan and Perlis.
The new rule, which comes into force tomorrow, does not apply to Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Sarawak and Perak as they are still under the stricter conditional MCO.
The announcement comes as the country today recorded a new low in Covid-19 cases for the year with 1,280 new infections.
Travel bubble tourism

Ismail Sabri said the decision to allow interstate tourism between recovery MCO states was made by the National Security Council yesterday.
The government agreed to the Tourism Ministry's proposal to implement a targeted domestic travel bubble tourism, he said.

This came after the tourism industry appealed for the government to allow tourism activities resume as tourism operators risk winding up, he said.
Individual tourists do not need to seek police permission to travel, as the matter - including submitting the list of tourists - will be dealt with by the travel agencies.

"The travel agencies need to obtain approval from the police for the interstate travel," he said.
"The arrangement of the accommodation and itinerary must be made earlier," he said.
Tour groups are allowed to travel through states placed under conditional MCO, but they may not make stops at these states, the minister added. - Mkini

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