He said leeway given in December for interstate travel had resulted in 32 new Covid-19 clusters.

“Currently, travel is only allowed through travel agencies, as we will know the details of the trip. If people go with a tour company, their trip will be notified to the police, who will then know which area they are going to and their travel itinerary.

“But if we allow private travel, for example, Perak is a green zone, Kedah is a green zone, Langkawi is also a green zone. Suppose people from Perak want to go to Langkawi, they have to go through Penang. How do we know if they are really going to Langkawi? Who would know if they ended up going to Penang instead?” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after a working visit to the 18th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment at the Sri Pantai Seberang Takir Camp in Kuala Nerus here today.

Ismail said that no one, including VIPs, would be exempt from legal action if they violated Covid-19 prevention rules or procedures.

He said even prior to this, legal action had been taken against some VIPs such as ministers and deputy ministers.

He said so far, a total of 21,791 military personnel had received the Covid-19 vaccine under the first phase of the immunisation programme which involved personnel working on the front lines.