Sabah state government has announced that all flights that are heading to the state from China have been suspended. According to the state’s Deputy Chief Minister, Christina Liew, it was a precautionary measure to stop the spread of the on-going coronavirus outbreak.
The move which was approved by the state cabinet yesterday applies to both scheduled and chartered flights from the country. The minister has also pointed out that it is just a temporary move and the flights will be allowed in once the outbreak stops.
With more than 42 per cent of Sabah’s international tourists come from China, this is certainly not an easy decision to take. But of course, it is better to be safe than sorry.
In a related note, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has stated that the federal government is still studying if it should make similar move. However, the government already put a temporary ban on tourists from Wuhan and Hubei province starting from earlier this week.
(Source: Malay Mail // MalaysiaKini // Tun Dr Mahathir. Image: a.canvas.of.light.)
