The government understands the anxiety of couples living apart in different states for work reasons.

For that reason, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the government has decided to ease the ban on such cases to allow them to meet their spouse and children.

He said husbands and wives who would like to seek permission for such cases could use the Gerak Malaysia special application or go directly to the police station near their home.

“On interstate travel, I was told that there were couples who lived apart from work reasons. For example, the husband works in Perlis, his wife in Johor. Due to interstate travel restrictions, some husbands have not been able to see their children for two months.

"So, I would like to announce that we are giving such couples a chance to travel interstate for the purpose of meeting their families," he said in a special message in Putrajaya today.

In addition, the prime minister said he had asked the Sabah and Sarawak governments to give consideration to such relaxation.