Motac sets up committee to mitigate outbreak

CORONAVIRUS | The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) has set up a Tourism Recovery Committee to monitor the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus, which is also known as the Wuhan coronavirus, said its minister Mohamaddin Ketapi.

He said the committee would, among others, provide advice and clarification to all tourists on steps that need to be taken as recommended by the Health Ministry to prevent infection during their stay in the country.

The committee is also to ensure that all tourists are comfortable and have confidence in the measures implemented by the government to address the issue.

“This includes supporting the Health Ministry in conducting health screenings on tourists arriving at entry points of the country,” he said in a statement in Putrajaya today.

Apart from that, the committee will also plan and formulate actions to find new markets to replace the affected sectors, particularly from China, he added.

Mohamaddin also said that Motac would continue to work closely with industry players to ensure the tourism sector thrived despite the constraints caused by the spread of the virus in Malaysia.

He said the Malaysian government welcomed steps taken by the Chinese government to prevent the spread of the outbreak which, among others, saw the central government impose a lockdown on Wuhan and several other cities in the republic.

The minister also said Malaysia had vast experience dealing with outbreaks previously and would be able to address the coronavirus issue. — Bernama