KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — Married couples in five states who have been separated by distance during lockdown will finally be able to travel to meet each other when the government shifts into Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) next Monday.
Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this applies only to those who live in the five states — Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, and Terengganu — that will be transitioning from Phase One to Phase Two next week.
“For Phase Two, we have also decided to allow long-distance couples to move across state and districts, but these remain for emergency and special purposes, accompanied with permission from the Royal Malaysia Police,” he said in a joint news conference today.
He added that the special circumstances include events like the birth of a child or to help a spouse care for a sick child.
The minister also listed other socio-economic perks for those in the five states.
Among them are recreational activities that do not incorporate physical contact or those where a minimum distance of two metres can be maintained, such as jogging, general exercises, cycling, tai chi, fishing, equestrian, biking, hiking, archery, one-on-one tennis, skateboarding, individual motorsports and golf.
Also allowed are other health, fitness, self-development activities that can go on while adhering to physical distancing rules, Ismail said.
He also said businesses like barbers, hairdressers, book and stationery shops will be allowed to reopen. Other activities greenlit to open are shops selling computers, telecommunication devices, and electrical appliances, and car wash businesses.
Morning wet markets that sell six essential commodities — specified as vegetables, fruits, poultry, meat, seafood and essential retail items — can also resume and operate from 7am to 11am daily.
“Operators of sectors which are allowed to operate, including farmers’ markets and morning markets, are reminded to always comply with the SOPs that are in place,” he said.
