KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today expressed his hope that the National Security Council (NSC) will consider moving the state into Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) as almost 10 per cent of its adult population have been fully vaccinated.

In a statement, the Tanjong MP said that as of yesterday, 9.9 per cent of adult Penangites have received the second dose of their Covid-19 vaccine.

“There are only 3,181 doses left, and we will reach 10 per cent by this Monday, July 5,” he said.

The NRP is a government-set timeline — split into four phases — for when various Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted based on three main criteria; namely, daily Covid-19 cases, the capacity of intensive care units (ICUs) nationwide, and the number of people vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. 

In Phase One, only services deemed “essential” by the government are allowed to operate. 

According to the original government announcement on June 15, Malaysia will move into Phase Two after daily cases drop below the 4,000 mark, ICU capacity is at a “moderate” level, and at least 10 per cent of the population is inoculated. 

Phase Two allows for economic sectors like the manufacturing industry to operate with a limited capacity.

Yesterday, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that five states — Perlis, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang — will be moving into Phase Two, following a federal government decision to allow individual states to transition into the NRP’s four phases if the necessary criteria are met.