It is evident that by getting as many people in Malaysia vaccinated as fast as possible, the country has reduced the severity of COVID-19 infections. At the current vaccination rate, the newly appointed Minister of Health Khairy Jamaluddin bin Abu Bakar anticipates that 80% of the Malaysian population would have been inoculated by end of October 2021, which by then render the COVID-19 spread as endemic, in line with the trends seen across the world. Therefore, like it or not, we have no choice but to accept the fact that we need to live with COVID-19 by adapting to the new norms.
Amidst all this, seeing there is light at the end of the tunnel, the Malaysian government announced on 2 September 2021 that Langkawi is the first COVID-19-free destination to open to local tourists beginning 16 September 2021, subject to stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs), considering over 80% of the island's population have already been fully vaccinated...
