PETALING JAYA: Married couples separated by distance are still wary of travelling to meet each other, even though they are fully vaccinated.

       Chong Poh Keng, 58, from Ipoh, Perak said she was initially happy to hear about the easing of the SOP to allow such reunions across state borders as of yesterday.

       “However, on second thought, with tens of thousands of new cases every day, and with my husband and daughter residing in Selangor, I think it is best not to take the risk to meet them so soon,” said the retired teacher, who added the last time her family met was in April.

       “It is okay to wait a little more, until the cases subside,” said Chong.

       Chong will wait until daily case numbers subside.

       Chong and her husband were fully inoculated since July, while her daughter just received her second dose earlier this month.

       Mohd Alif Azami, 26, a digital data reviewer from Petaling Jaya, said the last time he saw his wife was during Hari Raya Aidilfitri in May.

       “My wife, who works in Penang as a quality analyst, has been fully vaccinated, while I am still waiting for my second dose before I am allowed to travel to meet her.

       “We only spent a short time together even though we have been married for seven months,” he said.

       “Throughout the seven months of marriage, we were only able to meet a few times,” he said, adding that they only spent a week together since tying the knot in January.

       “Of course I am going to travel to meet her soon, but only after the cases go down.

       “I was very happy when the government announced that interstate travel for long-distance married couples will be allowed,” said Mohd Alif.

       “Let’s wait until at least the number of cases have gone down before travelling,” he said, while urging the public to get vaccinated.

       Despite being allowed to travel interstate following a recent announcement by the Prime Minister, a couple still have to wait for their vaccination appointments to be able to do so.

       Nur Aida Said, 34, from Ipoh, Perak, said her eldest son has been asking for his father who he has not seen for over two months due to the prolonged movement control order.

       “He always asks to speak to his dad who is working in Kedah,” said the mother of two, who also relies on video calls to keep in touch with her husband, Badarudin Abu Bakar, 37.

       On social media, opinions are divided when it comes to easing of the SOP for fully vaccinated individuals, with some users urging the government to also consider allowing singles the option of meeting their family across state borders.