As the war against the pandemic in Malaysia rages on, it’s important for us to continue staying safe at home. With that said, we should also keep ourselves updated with the current plans that the government has to fight Covid-19 in Malaysia.
If you, like many other Malaysians out there, have been wondering what exactly the National Recovery Plan (NRP) is, we’re here to break it down for you!
Basically, the National Recovery Plan was developed as a roadmap to control the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia and to enable the country to reopen in stages!
We hope we’re on the right track to returning to normal life soon! ??
Although many Malaysians are already aware of the National Recovery Plan and what it entails, we may not know exactly what it’s about and how it can help us move forward and recover from the ongoing pandemic.
Let’s have a closer look at what it is together:
What’s the National Recovery Plan and why was it introduced in the first place?
The National Recovery Plan (NRP) is a four-phase plan to ease restrictions cautiously and safely and it depends heavily on the number of vaccinated Malaysians.
Through the NRP, the Government aims to ease restrictions in a manner that can help achieve these five objectives to protect the lives of all Malaysians:
- To protect public health by managing transmissions, minimising hospitalisation and deaths from Covid-19
- To ensure that the healthcare system can cope in a way that is sustainable
- To ensure that majority of the Rakyat gets vaccinated as quickly as possible
- To reopen the economy as fairly and as quickly as possible
- To be responsive and flexible in adapting to the evolving environment
As you may already know, there are four stages to the NRP and while some states have advanced to Phase 2, the majority of us are still in Phase 1. In order to continue transitioning phases, the Government is focusing on these three important factors:
- The number of new daily cases
- The utilisation of ICU capacity
- The percentage of the eligible population being fully vaccinated
As the vaccination rates in Malaysia continue to increase, the Government intends to shift the focus from daily new cases to hospitalisations and deaths. This is because there has been significant scientific evidence that vaccines are highly effective in preventing those incidences! So make sure you get vaccinated, ok?
That’s great! So what are the four phases of the National Recovery Plan?
The four phases of the National Recovery Plan has been carefully thought out to ensure that Malaysians are protected while the Government eases restrictions. Here, we break down each phase of the NRP for you:
Phase 1
In Phase 1, restrictions are super necessary as the virus transmissions are high and the ideal vaccination rate has not been achieved.
- Only essential businesses and services are allowed to operate
- Travel is only allowed within a radius of 10km from where you live
- Only 2 people from the same household are allowed to be in the car
- Sports & recreational activities are strictly not permitted
Phase 2
In Phase 2, the number of new cases is expected to reduce drastically followed by moderate ICU bed utilisation and 10%-40% of the adult population have been vaccinated.
- Face-to-face learning resumes for those with upcoming exams
- More economic sectors will be allowed to operate
- Only outdoor sports and recreational activities are allowed
- Travel is only allowed within a radius of 10km from where you live
- Only 2 people from the same household are allowed to be in the car
Phase 3
In Phase 3, all sectors are allowed to reopen except those that are at high risk of transmissions such as health spas, salons and nightclubs.
- Dine-in is allowed with strict SOPs in place
- All contact sports and recreational activities are allowed
- 3 people per household will now be allowed out in one car
- Gathering within homes and restaurants in limited group sizes will resume
Phase 4
In the last and final phase of the National Recovery Plan, most sectors will be allowed to operate subject to social distancing SOPs as well as capacity limits.
- Social activities & gatherings will be allowed at 50% capacity
- Businesses will be allowed to operate at maximum capacity
- Inter-state travel will be allowed
- Religious congregations will also be allowed
All that sounds pretty exciting, huh?
We’re really glad that the Government has laid out such a transparent plan for Malaysia to recover from the pandemic. Not only does it give us an idea of what to expect but it also shows us that there is some light at the end of the tunnel ?
Interesting, but where can I go to find more info about the NRP?
With the amount of content circulating on the internet in relation to Covid-19 news in Malaysia, it can be pretty tough to keep track of the daily statistics as well as which phase of the NRP you’re currently in.
Thankfully via the official National Recovery Plan website, you can keep track of:
- The number of new daily cases
- The utilisation of ICU beds
- The percentage of the vaccinated population
Yay, so much easier now!
Apart from that, there is also information regarding all four phases of the NRP and what it entails!
If you’d like to know more about the SOPs for a specific state or activity, you can also find them on the NRP website!
We personally think this is an awesome effort to ensure that all Malaysians can plan carefully and also make it a lot easier for us to be aware of the ever-changing SOPs!
Alright! What about all that money from various stimulus packages during the pandemic?
This is quite literally the billion-dollar question! Covid-19 struck us in March 2020 and there have been countless amounts of help given to the Rakyat since then.
If you’d like to have a look at how the Government has disbursed the billions of funds that were approved since the pandemic hit, all you have to do is visit the Kewangan Rakyat website!
On the website, you’ll be able to see a breakdown of the amount disbursed through three main categories which are:
- Rakyat Assistance
- Business Continuity
- Economic Resilience
This is awesome! ??
The Government has also introduced a number of stimulus packages since the pandemic struck. The current stimulus package, PEMULIH, is the eighth stimulus package offered to Malaysians.
If you haven’t read our previous article on the PEMULIH package and you’re wondering if you’re eligible for any financial assistance, just click here to read it!
Yay, we are so happy that we have all this information at our fingertips! It’s so much easier to keep track of the phases in the National Recovery Plan as well as to know more about the SOPs that we should adhere to.
If you found this article helpful, do share it with others so they too can be aware of all this information! ❤️
We hope you’re staying safe at home and make sure to get vaccinated, ok?
