Masidi Manjun
KOTA KINABALU (Sept 28): Districts which have vaccinated 60 per cent of adult population against Covid-19 will be included in zone travel system which will be implemented in Sabah from October 1 to allow people to only travel between districts within the same zones.
Sabah Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Masidi Manjun on Tuesday said that all the districts within the zones had to reach the same vaccination target in order for the government to lift the inter-district travel ban.
“Districts within the six zones that have yet to achieve a vaccination rate of 60 per cent of its adult population will be excluded from the zoning system,” he said.
Data from the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) revealed that 10 districts in Sabah have yet to achieve the 60 per cent threshold.
Kinabatangan, Telupid, Tongod and Sandakan have not even reached 50 per cent while Tawau, Semporna, Papar, Nabawan, Keningau and Kunak are within the 50 per cent range.
According to statistics shared by Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister Shahelmy Yahya, as of Sept 26, adult vaccination in Kinabatangan is currently at 48.7 per cent, Telupid 50.4 per cent, Tongod 51.5 per cent and Sandakan 58.3 per cent.
For the record, the vaccination percentage is based on at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
The zoning system which divides the state into six zones to spur economic and tourism activities, was introduced in March to allow people to travel between districts in their zones without the need for police permits. It has been suspended since May following a rise in Covid-19 infections.
Zone 1 consists of Kota Kinabalu, Kota Belud, Ranau, Tuaran, Penampang, Putatan and Papar; Zone 2 – Beaufort, Kuala Penyu and Sipitang; Zone 3 – Kudat, Kota Marudu and Pitas; Zone 4 – Sandakan, Beluran, Kinabatangan and Tongod; Zone 5 – Tawau, Semporna, Lahad Datu, Kunak and Kalabakan; and Zone 6 -Keningau, Tambunan and Tenom.
Masidi had earlier said that the state government was planning to reimplement the zoning system when the state reached a 60 per cent vaccination rate.
As of September 27, Sabah had fully vaccinated 59.1 per cent of its adult population, while 71.1 per cent of the adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.