KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) expects top island resorts such as Langkawi, Pangkor, Redang, Tioman and Perhentian to achieve herd immunity by end August and be ready for reopening early next month.

However, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said, this would depend on the Government's decision and the standard operating procedures to be set.

"The decision to reopen the tourism sector must be made after an in depth study and with great care to prevent an outbreak which may cause the sector to be closed again. At the same time, MOTAC is updating and finalising the SOPs for the tourism sector,' she said in a statement today.

According to Nancy, she had a virtual session with 15 representatives from the tourism industry to prepare them towards the reopening of the tourism sector especially those operating the popular resort islands in the country.

The session aimed at getting feedback from industry players was also in line with the special announcement by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on the easing of SOPs for those who are fully vaccinated.

Nancy said she hoped that all parties involved could move in one direction for the smooth execution of the strategic plan.



-- BERNAMA