IPOH: Perak is waiting for the Federal Government to approve the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between Ipoh and Singapore, says Datuk Nolee Ashiling Mohamed Radzi.

       The state tourism committee chairman said the suggestion to open the VTL has been made by the Malaysian Airport Berhad.

       "Unlike Penang, we have yet to have the VTL connecting Ipoh and Singapore.

       "We are waiting for the federal government to approve the suggestion," she told reporters at the Perak Culture and Arts Department (JKKN) on Tuesday (March 22).

       On March 8, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Malaysia would reopen its border to international travellers on April 1.

       Ismail Sabri added that Malaysians can still use the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) method for countries that have yet to open their borders such as Singapore.

       Nolee said the state will continue to prioritise tourists' safety in the upcoming reopening of the border.

       "We will continue the good practice to ensure tourists' safety against the Covid-19 virus.

       "While we are currently transitioning towards the endemic phase, we believe that there might be tourists who will wait for the cases to drop before coming to Perak," she said.

       She added that the state also has no target on the number of travellers coming to Perak.

       "Maybe (in the future) we wouldn't have to practise physical distancing and be able to open a space to its full capacity but I believe if we take care of the basics such as wearing face masks and sanitising our hands, we can reduce the Covid-19 risk," she said.