Malaysians heave sighs of relief after RMCO announced

Unlike his previous speeches on the Movement Control Order (MCO), the special address by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddn Yassin today was brimming with good news.

Almost all sectors such as education, social and the economy were allowed to resume under the Recovery MCO (RMCO) beginning June 10, and the highlight of the day was definitely the much awaited permission for interstate travel from Wednesday.

Surely, all these provide relief to many parties, from single individuals to families, who have been cloistered in their homes for about four months since the enforcement of the MCO on March 18.

For Siti Normala Hassan, 29, a civil servant working in the capital, she was thrilled with the interstate travel permission because it has been five months since she last went back to her hometown in Dungun, Terengganu, after the MCO was enforced.

"After this I can apply for annual leave to return to my hometown to see my mother. I couldn't even see her during Aidilfitri, so this is the time to overcome my pining and also enjoy homemade food," she told Bernama.

Earlier, the Prime Minister announced that interstate travel would be permitted from Wednesday, except for areas under the Enhanced MCO, as part of the various relaxations allowed during the recovery phase of COVID-19 in Malaysia.

Many social media users had also expressed their gratitude at the relaxations given by the government, and in fact there were also some attempts at levity about the developments by uploading photos of highways thronged with vehicles after June 10, as well as photos of filled annual leave forms.

A Twitter user @Haiqal James tweeted: "Our government is really doing great for the new normal. Now as we are allowed to travel interstate, the future is getting brighter."

A Facebook user Nora Ain wrote: "Alhamdulillah, thanks to the government leadership and the patience of all Malaysians, we can regard it as our day of triumph. While we are celebrating, please don't forget the SOP (standard operating procedures) that we have been practicing for the past three months. Make it as our new normal."

Lauding the government announcement, social expert Prof Datuk Dr Mohammad Shatar Sabran said the relaxations given had provided relief to the people to resume their daily lives as many were badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Vice Chancellor of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris said the people could not treat the relaxation as a ticket to party because the country was not fully free from the virus.

"This is not a total freedom. As long as COVID-19 is still out there, we must adhere to the SOP. The people must have discipline because the government can only issue orders but it is up to us to make them successful," he said.

-- BERNAMA