GEORGE TOWN, Feb 21 — Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow welcomed the more cautious approach taken by the Health Ministry in the reopening of the country’s borders.
The Penang lawmaker said it is understandable that Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin chose to be more cautious when deciding the matter.
“This is because cases and situations are changing every day, and every day, there could be new interpretations and analysis,” he said.
He was commenting on the possible reopening of the country’s borders by the second quarter of the year announced by Khairy recently as opposed to the National Recovery Council’s proposed March 1 reopening.
Chow said the ministry also required two to three weeks to prepare the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the reopening which is in line with the second quarter target.
He stressed that he is not against the reopening of the country’s borders but that a more cautious approach is best.
When asked if Penang intends to tighten SOPs due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the state, Chow said the Penang Covid-19 Management Committee meeting will be held next week.
“The meeting will discuss whether there is a need to tighten SOPs based on the current situation,” he said.
He said the meeting will also discuss the SOPs pertaining to Ramadan bazaars which are allowed by the federal government.
On the variants of Covid-19 cases in Penang, Chow said the state recorded 544 Delta cases and 37 Omicron cases as of the middle of February.
Chow was speaking to reporters after attending the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between Angkasa-X and nine electronics and electrical companies to form a Malaysia SpaceTech Hub.
The SpaceTech Hub is a collaboration between E&E companies and Angkasa-X to build capabilities in satellite technology and to develop the SpaceTech ecosystem.
