Dining in, same-state vacations allowed for fully vaccinated individuals in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR — Dining in will be allowed for individuals who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from Tuesday (Aug 10).

However, this privilege is only applicable to fully vaccinated individuals in states that have transitioned out of Phase 1 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP).

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, in a special announcement, nevertheless urged the public to choose dining in only when necessary and opt for takeaway.

"Choose premises with good ventilation. Premises owners should also allocate al fresco dining. Diners must present their vaccine digital certificate before being allowed to enter the premises," he said during a live broadcast on Sunday evening.

A person is considered fully vaccinated after fulfilling certain criteria. For those who received vaccines that require two doses, they are considered to be fully vaccinated after the 14th day of receiving their second dose. For single dose vaccines, an individual is considered fully vaccinated after the 28th day of receiving their jab.

Among other privileges for fully vaccinated individuals are same-state holidays, inter-district travel and certain sports activities, also applicable to those in states that are in Phase 2 and above.

The details, Mr Muhyiddin said, will be announced by the National Security Council.

He added that after taking into consideration feedback from the Health Ministry, the government is ready to provide privileges to individuals who are fully vaccinated.

"The decision was made based on data and due consideration. There are two criteria in allowing privileges to the vaccinated individuals," said Mr Muhyiddin.

The first criterion, he said, was that 14 days must have passed for those who received the two-dose vaccine types, namely Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac.

For the single-dose Johnson & Johnson and Cansino vaccines, the individuals must have fulfilled 28 days of the injection date.

Mr Muhyiddin had on June 15 announced the NRP as a systematic exit plan from the Covid-19 pandemic in efforts to return to normalcy.

"Labuan and Perlis have transitioned into Phase 3 of the NRP while six others are in Phase 2.

"For states that have yet to move into next state, efforts need to be stepped up," said Mr Muhyiddin.

He reminded everyone against being complacent as the highly-transmissible Delta variant has emerged in the country, with over 200,000 active cases nationwide.

Mr Muhyiddin said among the strategies taken to manage Covid-19 include ensuring as many people are inoculated against the virus, alleviating burden on the public healthcare system and easing restrictions on the economic sector.

He said 23.6 million vaccine doses have already been distributed in Malaysia, with 15.3 million people or 65.6 per cent of the adult population having received at least one vaccine shot. NEW STRAITS TIMES