[UPDATE] PM Muhyiddin Postpones Interstate Travel Ban To And From Sabah
However, special exemptions will be granted to people with emergency cases and permission from authorities.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 06 Oct 2020, 05:15 PM — Updated over 3 years ago
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect the latest statement by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has postponed the interstate travel ban that would restrict people from travelling to and from Sabah to 12 October
In a special address at 6pm today, 6 October, he said the move to delay the travel ban is to give more time to members of the public to plan for their itinerary so that they will not be stranded in Sabah due to the sudden announcement earlier today, 6 October.
"The new deadline for travel restrictions between Sabah and the Peninsular, Sarawak, and Labuan will come into effect from 12.01am on 12 October to 25 October 2020," said Muhyiddin.
The ban will be in place for 14 days.
Previously, the government was set to impose an interstate travel ban to and from Sabah beginning tomorrow, 7 October
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the decision was made due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the state over the past few weeks, reported New Straits Times.
The ban was slated to last until 20 October, before being pushed back by the premier.
The ban, however, will not apply to cases involving emergency matters, death in the family, necessary services, and people who have received permission from the Ministry of Health (MOH)
"Those who have been granted permission are required to undergo COVID-19 screening by the Ministry of Health at their end destination," Ismail, who is also a Senior Minister, said in a statement today, 6 October.
Here is a list of people who are allowed to enter Sabah:
- Malaysians with the 'H' code on the bottom right of their MyKads
- Essential service workers who have a valid pass issued by Sabah's Immigration Department
- Non-Sabahan students who have student cards or passes from Sabah's Immigration Department
- Federal civil servants working in Sabah with relevant documents and approval
- Foreigners with the MyPR cards with the 'H' code
- Foreigners with an entry permit card or an endorsement permit on their passports
The travel ban comes as many of the new COVID-19 cases reported within the country were found to have links to Sabah
According to Malaysiakini, as of yesterday noon, 5 October, Sabah recorded 1,334 active COVID-19 cases — the highest among all states.
Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Semporna, and Lahad Datu reported triple-digit active cases.
It is worth noting that Sabah currently has an interdistrict travel ban that will end on 16 October as well.
