GEORGE TOWN: Penang will be the sixth state to move into Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), effective Wednesday.
In welcoming the decision by the National Security Council (NSC), Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said his administration would continue to shoulder the responsibility to lead the people and strive together to defend the new position.
"The next challenge is to ensure Penang achieves Phase Three. This is important so that more sectors can be opened, which will bring Penang and the people towards full recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic," he said today.
For the third phase, Chow said the state needed to ensure three threshold indicators were fulfilled.
"Penang needs to ensure that the average seven-day Covid-19 cases do not surpass 109 cases. We also need to ensure that our medical facility is at a sufficient level.
"And thirdly, we need to ensure that about 40 per cent of the adult population are fully vaccinated," he said.
Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Penang is the latest state to transit into the next phase of the NRP.
On Saturday, Perlis, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang were among the first states in the country to move into Phase Two of the NRP effective today (July 5).