KUALA LUMPUR: Public health expert Dr Malina Osman is urging the government to only reopen interstate travel for states where 90 per cent of their adult population have been vaccinated.
She said the decision should also not be based on the national average, which had logged at 88 per cent as of Monday, as local populations in states where the rates were lagging had yet to be sufficiently covered.
This includes Sabah where only 62 per cent of the adult population fully covered, followed by Kelantan (72 per cent), Perak (75.6 per cent), Kedah (76.9 per cent), Pahang (77.8 per cent), Johor with (83.9 per cent), Terengganu (85.7 per cent), Penang (86.0 per cent) , Melaka (88.2 per cent) and Sarawak (89.6 per cent).
These states also make up major travel destinations for Klang Valley residents where the adult population vaccination rate stood at 111.7 per cent inoculated (the rate is due to increase of its population outside the census count).
"Opening up the (state) borders without this (the 90 per cent threshold) can cause the states to once again experience surges in infections, ICU (admission) and mortality rates that are just beginning to show plateauing signs.
"Until then, only the borders of states where 90 per cent of the population have been vaccinated can be reopened to guests and for their domestic travellers to leave.
"The others should wait in the interest of collective safety," she told the New Straits Times.
The vaccination rates in Labuan and Negri Sembilan are at 98.8 and 98.1 per cent respectively, while Perlis recorded 92.4 per cent.
State borders have been closed since early January this year and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said state borders would reopen once 90 per cent of the adult population is vaccinated.
He also said Malaysians could travel abroad by December or sooner once the target was reached.
Dr Malina also said those who had yet to be vaccinated could be allowed to travel by imposing a compulsory quarantine and testing conditions, with the application to travel should be made and approved via MySejahtera.
The test results should also be attached in the app.
"Those who are caught forgoing this should be punished by law."
NST has yet to receive a response from the Health Ministry on possible plans to continue restricting the unvaccinated from travelling when interstate borders are reopened.