JOHOR BARU: Locals are trying to cover up their unvaccinated status by faking the digital certificate on MySejahtera to visit tourist spots.

       There have been a few cases where domestic tourists have tried to mislead island tour operators so that they can sneak in for a vacation on the islands off Mersing, said Mersing Tourism Association chairman Sheikh Zulkifli Sheikh Abdul Rahim.

       “However, none have succeeded so far. These stubborn tourists will show a saved MySejahtera screenshot from the cellphone of someone who has already been inoculated to board the boat that will bring them to the islands,” he said.

       However, Sheikh Zulkifli said such attempts will not work as the jetty was being manned by the local council, police and Health Department officers.

       Those who are not vaccinated will be told to turn back as authorities do not want to put lives at risk.

       He said visitors should be more responsible.

       Sheikh Zulkifli also said island hopping and other tourism activities in the district have seen an uptick since the government lifted the interstate travel ban in October.

       “The number of domestic tourists coming in is still manageable, and we will continue to monitor standard operating procedure compliance,” he said.

       He added that the association also expects more people to travel to Mersing due to the long weekend in conjunction with Deepavali.

       State police chief Comm Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said there has been an increase in Covid-19 SOP violations since Johor moved into Phase Four of the National Recovery Plan on Oct 25.

       However, he expressed confidence that the consistent enforcement carried out by the police would reduce the number of violations in due time.

       In Ipoh, checks on Covid-19 SOP compliance will continue, said Perak deputy police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mazlan Santarai.

       He said his men will step up checks on people’s adherence to the SOP while Malaysians celebrate Deepavali tomorrow.

       DCP Mazlan said 312 compounds were issued to the public for disobeying the SOP from Oct 11-20. Most of the offences involved failure to check in with their MySejahtera app at premises and for not wearing face masks.

       He said the police would not simply issue compounds.

       “We will advise them on observing the SOP, but we will not hesitate to issue compound notices if they disobey the law,” he said.