[PHOTOS] Hundreds Of Tourists Crowd Jetty To Langkawi As Island Goes Under RMCO
The jetties were seen packed with tourists maintaining little to no physical distancing.
By May Vin Ang — 12 Mar 2021, 12:12 PM
Hundreds of tourists were seen crowding the Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis jetties to Pulau Langkawi a day after the island came under the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO)
According to New Straits Times, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Langkawi will be placed under RMCO from Wednesday, 10 March.
The island was recently declared a COVID-19 green zone, with its last two cases recorded on 20 February.
On Tuesday, 9 March, he also announced the permission for Malaysians to travel interstate in areas under RMCO for tourism purposes beginning Wednesday, 10 March, but with strict conditions.
For one, Ismail Sabri said that interstate travel will only be allowed through tourism agencies and tour vehicles registered with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC).
Despite the restrictions, Malaysians still took the slight relaxation as an opportunity to go travelling
Facebook page Langkawi Kini posted pictures of hundreds of tourists thronging Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis jetties to the island on Thursday, 11 March.
While the page admin was excited to see tourists again, they reminded holiday-goers to obey COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) to keep Langkawi a green zone.
"Don't be irresponsible! Keep observing the COVID-19 SOPs. The admin is asking everyone for their co-operation," the page pleaded.
Unfortunately, the photos showed the jetties packed with tourists maintaining little to no physical distancing.
More photos shared by the Facebook page also showed that tourist activities at Pantai Cenang are back in business
According to the local page, almost 3,000 tourists arrived on the island on Thursday alone.
While Langkawi has been declared as a green zone, Kedah still remains under Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO)
According to Ismail Sabri, it must be reminded that interstate travel is now only allowed for tourism purposes and tourists are not allowed to drive their own private vehicles, they must go through travel agencies.
Malaysians must also still seek approval from the police before leaving their state
States that are currently under RMCO are Perlis, Melaka, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah, as well as Putrajaya and Labuan.
Also, if one is travelling from one RMCO state to another via a state under CMCO, the tour agency vehicle is not allowed to stop in the area.
