Tony Fernandes tells SEA govts to be brave as ‘closed borders aren’t logical anymore’

Capital A Bhd CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes urged governments in the region to “be brave” and reopen their country’s borders for the sake of people’s livelihoods and economies.

The United Kingdom’s national broadcaster BBC said he made the comments at the Singapore Airshow, which is taking place this week in the island city-state after a two-year hiatus.

“It’s time to take a deep breath and assess the facts… Having borders closed isn’t logical anymore because Omicron is in society

“Now we have to protect people’s livelihoods and economies,” he was quoted as saying to the BBC.

Fernandes also called for more public health measures to end, so that people can move on from the virus.

“To me, opening our borders means no quarantine, no form-filling, no constant testing.

“It’s time to move on and get on with our lives,” he added.

Earlier this month, Fernandes called for a more sustainable approach to aid the region’s aviation industry to recover from the impact of pandemic-driven movement restrictions.

He said that travel restrictions made sense in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, but that Malaysia has since learned to live with the virus.

On Monday, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said various factors must be evaluated before Malaysia’s tourism sector and international borders can be allowed to fully reopen without the implementation of travel bubbles.

She said that thorough study and preparations, including discussions with the tourism ministries in other countries, were among her ministry’s ongoing efforts.

On February 8, the National Recovery Council (NRC) proposed to the government that the country’s borders should fully reopen on March 1, without requiring mandatory quarantine.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, however, said nothing had been decided yet and the matter remained at the discussion stage among the relevant government agencies, ministries and Cabinet. —  Malay Mail

[ IMAGE SOURCE ]

Recent Posts

Malaysia Airlines’ new A330neo grounded temporarily due to production issues

Malaysia Airlines has temporarily grounded its brand new Airbus A330neo after completing four commercial flights.…

6 hours ago

Proton e.MAS 7: Here’s how much it cost to maintain this EV

Pro-Net recently revealed that you only need to service the new Proton e.MAS 7 EV…

2 days ago

Proton e.MAS 7: How much does it cost to replace the tyres?

The Proton e.MAS 7 is one of the most value for money SUVs at the…

2 days ago

Samsung to launch its new AI-powered home appliances with improved ecosystem integration at CES 2025

Samsung has announced that it will be holding its press conference titled "AI for All:…

2 days ago

SoyaCincau Awards 2024: The Best Phones of the Year

Modern smartphones are very capable computing devices, thanks to powerful hardware trickling down the price…

2 days ago

CelcomDigi offers 5G Home WiFi at RM69/month for Postpaid customers

If you're a CelcomDigi Postpaid 5G customer and can't get fibre broadband for your home,…

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.