ALOR SETAR, June 23 — Eighty per cent of Langkawi residents need to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine to enable the travel bubble to be implemented on the island when interstate travel is allowed and the national borders are reopened.
Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said to achieve the percentage, the state government was working with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (MOTAC) and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI) to ensure that about 61,000 Langkawi residents received at least one dose of vaccine.
“We have coordinated at the district Disaster Operations Control Centre (PKOB) level which is run by district officers to provide vaccination centres (PPV) to speed up the process of vaccination.
“After the vaccination process in Langkawi is completed, then the people who have completed two doses of vaccine shots can start holidaying in Langkawi, Insya-Allah starting this September,” he told a press conference after chairing the state executive council meeting via Zoom application here today.
He said Qatar Airways had also expressed its readiness to implement the travel bubble with Langkawi, by operating seven flights a week from 121 international destinations to the resort island.
“Yesterday, they (Qatar Airways) met with the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) to announce their commitment and we hope this travel bubble can be implemented once the vaccination programme in Langkawi is completed,” he said.
Muhammad Sanusi said the revival of the tourism sector in Langkawi needed to be given attention as its rivals Krabi and Phuket in Thailand were also expected to open soon.
Meanwhile, he said all PPVs in Kedah have the capacity to administer 80,000 vaccine shots a week.
