Nightclubs still too risky to reopen in transitionary phase – minister

 

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that nightclubs are the only premises that will remain closed during the country’s transition to the endemic phase due to the nature of such venues.

“Come April 1, only one type of premises will be listed on the negative list that will not be allowed to open - nightclubs.

“(This is) because of the nature of nightclubs,” Khairy said during a press conference today.

The minister explained that nightclubs are high-risk for the transmission of Covid-19.

“We have looked into this, on the balance of risk assessment, nightclubs are high-risk premises, even during the transition to endemic phase. Therefore it remains on the negative list,” he said.

Nightclubs have not been able to operate since the beginning of lockdown in March 2020.

Possibility of new variants

Khairy also said that the Health Ministry was keeping a watchful eye on the possibility of changes in the country’s transition, including new Covid-19 variants.

“Every country hopes the transition is one-way, meaning we won’t regress. However, the Health Ministry - which aims to contain infectious diseases in a manner that is safe and cares for the health of the public - must be ready for any possibility.

“One of the factors I have advised the cabinet is the possibility of a new variant appearing that is more aggressive than Omicron.

“If there is a new variant, not only Malaysia, but other countries will have to reevaluate their protocols,” he said when asked about the state of transition if the situation worsens.

Khairy said, however, that the ministry was confident of the new implementations made based on the data that has been provided.

“As of now, with the data provided to us, we are confident that this transition is one-way.

“However, as the Health Ministry, we cannot rule out the possibility of a new variant or changes to the virus’ epidemiology,” he added.

Step up surveillance

The minister said the Health Ministry will continue to step up surveillance and refer to developments and data from other countries.

“This is being closely monitored by the National Institute of Health,” he assured.

Previously, the scientific journal Nature carried a news report on March 7 regarding epidemiologists’ opinions on measures by various countries to lift Covid-19 restrictions, including requirements for masking and capacity limits.

The report said some experts argued against some countries’ decisions to scale back on Covid-19 testing and contact tracing, which would make it difficult to pick up on the emergence of new variants just as people increase mingling.

Others said large-scale testing may not be necessary, though governments should still keep up with surveillance to monitor for new variants.

Eased restrictions

Yesterday, Putrajaya announced further relaxations in Covid-19 protocols, including the reopening of the country’s borders from April 1 onwards.

Fully vaccinated travellers are not required to quarantine upon arriving in the country but are subjected to a professional RTK-antigen test 24 hours upon arrival.

Local restrictions have also eased including allowing eateries to be opened past midnight and allowing the maximum capacity at event venues and workplaces.

However, Malaysians are still required to don a mask outside their homes and use the MySejahtera application's check-in function.

This is in line with shifting the responsibility from the government to individuals, Khairy said. - Mkini