Travel Between RMCO States Now Allowed - Beginning 10 March

Domestic travel between states in the RMCO is allowed beginning March 10 but...

So you can now travel to and holiday in Melaka, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah, Putrajaya, Labuan and Perlis (the states under the RMCO).

The remaining states namely, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, and Sarawak are still under the CMCO. 

The good news however is that you can travel from say Putrajaya to Melaka through Negeri Sembilan but you will not be able to stop in Negeri Sembilan as it is still under the CMCO. 

Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob did clarify however that "The permitted conditions are that such travel must utilise the services offered by tour agencies registered with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac).

“Travel between states must only use tour vehicles registered with Motac as well. The use of private vehicles is not allowed,”.

He further added that if the organised tours are required to cross a state under CMCO they are not allowed to stop until they've crossed said state. Those of you with small/ weak bladders might want to consider that before embarking on a tour. 

Hotel accommodation and tourism activities must be pre-arranged and declared during application for the police permit. 

When asked if it was necessary for each individual on the tour to obtain police approval for the trip? Ismail Sabri responded that it was not necessary, instead it was the responsibility of the tour operator to gain all the required approvals. 

While this will come as good news for the tourism sector and tour operators, I cannot help but think the convoluted process by which this has to take place is not going to bring droves of tourists to RMCO states. How is the government going to enforce the no-stopping in CMCO states? What if there is an emergency on the tour vehicle? Is there SOPs in place for this? 

As usual, sadly once again this announcement just raises more questions than answers. In the end, it's #kitajagakita.