KUALA LUMPUR: Those aged 18 and above who are fully vaccinated will not be allowed to cross district and state lines to meet their parents just yet, due to possible risks that may emerge once the easing of more socio-economic aspects come into effect.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein explained that this was because there were many of them from this age group.
"The total number of those who are single and aged 18 and above is huge. But, the risk is too high. If we are to ease the restrictions now, it may lead to other problems, so much so if they are not disciplined, not adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOP).
"Therefore, we only allow parents who are fully vaccinated to travel inter-district or interstate to visit their children who are 18 and below.
"InsyaAllah, if this relaxation is a success and does not cause a surge in the number of cases, we can ease the restrictions for the fully vaccinated 18-year-old and above group," he told reporters at a virtual press conference.
Hishammuddin added that the decision to allow parents to visit their children aged 18 and below was done more as a means to protecting the mental health of the involved groups.
"This is based on the consideration for families who have been placed under lockdown for quite some time. For the singles out there, please wait a little while," he said.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the government had agreed to ease the restrictions in the social sector for those fully vaccinated who reside in states under Phase Two and above of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), effective tomorrow.
Among the restrictions being lifted were the ban on dining in, inter-district travel, sports and recreational activities without physical contact, as well as tourism activities within the same state involving homestays and hotels.
Earlier, Hishammuddin said the decision on the relaxation of certain restrictions was made based on the implementation of the NRP and the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme that had always been the focus of the government to balance the health and economic well-being of the people.
"This involves also the mental health of the rakyat after being impacted by the pandemic for a prolonged period. With these benefits, the government hopes that the rakyat, particularly those who have completed both doses, will feel a bit relieved.
"This is a calculated and careful approach after taking into account its impact on 3.97 million people who reside in the Phase Two and Three states."
Hishammuddin said the decision was made after engaging with all stakeholders from the health, economic and social sectors.
"The government is aware of concerns, especially after the emergence of new variants like the Delta variant.
"We have taken into account risk assessment data gathered by the Health Ministry and one of the important findings is that currently about 96 per cent of the new cases are Category 1 and 2 patients, which means the vaccines given to the people are effective in protecting them.
"With the relaxation, control and preventive measures must continue, including wearing face masks, practising social distancing and maintaining self-hygiene.
"I believe that Malaysians are a responsible society and together, we can get out of the pandemic soon," he said.
To a question, Hishammuddin said the government was considering relaxing restrictions on low-risk activities for residents in states under Phase One of the NRP.
He said the government was looking at the possibility of easing restrictions on some safe activities, allowing people to go to parks or night markets.
If such a move were undertaken, he said, it would be for the mental health of the people.
However, Hishammuddin was quick to point out that the matter was still being deliberated on by health experts.
