I thank our local media friends who asking my opinion on whether the authorities should consider the requirements for Police permits as far as inter-district travels are concerned when the whole of Sarawak is entering Phase 3 of the Covid19 National Recovery Plan (NRP) on October 1.
I personally opine that there should not be any Police permits required for inter-district travels in Sarawak and the relevant authorities need to further fine tune the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Sarawak to enter Phase 3 of the NRP because it may not look practical.
As such, it is my opinion for a further review on the SOP was necessary with the aim to address some inconsistencies. It is suffice for enforcement agencies to ensure compliance with SOP like wearing of face mask and scanning of MySejahtera (QR code) when entering certain premises. But a mandatory requirement for a police permit will affect the relaxation and opening of tourism products like beach resorts, homestays and national parks.
I have also urged the authorities to be less restrictive in permitting travel into and within Sarawak as we are opening up our tourism industry. Although it was important for Sarawak to remain vigilant in stopping the spread of Covid19, our Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak had received complaints that it was somewhat difficult to enter the state and even to travel within its districts. Thus, we hope that when Sarawak enters Phase 3 of the NRP, all of these requirements will be looked into accordingly and perhaps relaxed a bit.
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