KANGAR, Aug 1 — The Perlis state government wants to ban interstate travel involving workers as well as visits to contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in the state, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man.
He said data from the Perlis State Health Department (JKN) indicated that the rise in COVID-19 cases in the state was due to interstate movements with 16 new COVID-19 cases reported yesterday.
Azlan said individuals who made these interstate travels did so with permission from the authorities, adding that some would commute daily to their workplaces outside of Perlis and those who are living outside of the state but have to commute to their workplaces in Perlis.
This also includes individuals who have permission to cross state to attend to deaths in the family or due to health reasons such as giving birth, he added.
“At the next special meeting of the National Security Council (MKN), I will try to recommend that interstate activity involving workers of public and private sectors as well as visits be banned or restricted. But this is subject to the consideration and approval of the MKN,” he said in a posting on his Facebook account today.
Azlan said that he would also recommend for Perlis to enter Phase Three of the Movement Control under the National Recovery Plan (PPN) during the meeting, adding that the state had met all three of the threshold indicators namely the number of daily cases per 100,000 people; the number of beds for COVID-19 patients; and vaccination rate among eligible adults.
On the alleged presence of Bukit Malut, Langkawi residents in Perlis to escape the 14-day Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) enforced in the area on July 27, Azlan said the authorities had begun to patrol roads and sea routes to prevent them from escaping to Perlis.
Azlan urged the public to report to the authorities especially the police if they saw such individuals in their area.
Meanwhile, Perlis JKN in a statement said a total of 21 new cases of COVID-19 was reported in the state today of which nine cases were local transmissions, one imported case and 11 cases involving the transfer of detainees at Perlis Correctional Centre.
