KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) has stressed that it is neither appropriate nor effective for now to tighten the standard operating procedure for the entry of travellers from other countries, including China.
Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the people's safety and health would remain a priority for the ministry but the entry of travellers from various countries including China was important to strike a balance between the people's well-being and the country's economic interests.
"So far, we have retained the status quo and continued to monitor developments from time to time. If there is a change of situation and an urgent need, of course, we will ensure a more stringent SOP," he said in a statement today.
He said that based on facts, the United States recorded 99 million infections and 1.08 million deaths due to Covid-19 while China recorded 31,000 deaths with 10.16 million positive cases.
"That's why if we look, neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia have not tightened the entry of travellers from China. At the same time, there are questions about the arrival of travellers from the United States, Japan, Korea and France which have also recorded a high number of infections.
"Considering China's population of 1.4 billion, the death rate due to the pandemic is 0.002 per cent. The number of cases of Covid-19 infection in Malaysia is 5.02 million with 0.7 per cent of deaths recorded," he said.
He said Malaysia had received travellers from around the world before this although they were from countries with a high rate of Covid-19 infection cases.