MERSING: Air Papan Beach, about 8km from Mersing town, is bustling with visitors again after months of “silence” due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

       One of the visitors, Rosazizad Idris, 54, said he and his family chose to go on a holiday at the beach because it was close to various facilities including chalets, food stalls and souvenir shops.

       “I would also like to suggest a kiosk be placed at the beach entrance to make it easier for visitors to do temperature checks and scan their MySejahtera app for monitoring purposes,” Rosazizad said recently.

       Another visitor, Nur Shahida Syahira Muhd Syahril, 17, from Simpang Renggam, said she was looking forward to spending more time outdoors after a few months of being confined at home.

       The eldest of five siblings said her family rented a chalet nearby and did various activities together such as barbecuing, fishing and swimming.

       “I haven’t been here for more than a year, I’m very excited and happy... breathing fresh air at the beach can help reduce stress,” she said.

       A trader who only wanted to be known as Siti, 44, said she breathed a sigh of relief when her business was back in full swing following the transition of Johor into Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan from Sept 24.

       “Although the situation is not the same as before, at least there is income coming in,” said Siti, who has been trading here for three years. — Bernama