Part 1. Vocabulary
|
high-yield |
[ hahy yeeld
] adj. - producing a
large amount; giving a high return: "The
practice ensures that the land can continue to
produce high-yield crops." |
|
viability |
[ vahy-uh-bil-i-tee
] n. - the
capacity to operate or be sustained: The viability
of the company was guaranteed by the success of its new product. |
|
revival |
[ ri-vahy-vuhl
] n. - restoration
to use, acceptance, or currency: The revival
of old customs. |
|
feed |
[ feed ] v. to give food
to; supply with nourishment: To feed a
child. |
|
institute |
[instəˌt(y)o͞ot]
v. - to set
up; establish; organize: to institute
a government. |
Part 2.Comprehension Questions
What is Malaysia’s three-month pilot program?
Why is the pilot project carried out for three months?
What are required for foreign tourists to visit the country?
What did the economist say if people didn’t follow health
protocols?
What should the government institute?
Part 3. Article Reading
Ismail Sabri had some good news for the tourism industry as
well.
Fully vaccinated tourists from select countries will be able
to travel to Langkawi Island under a three-month pilot program.
The prime minister said this program is aimed at “high-yield
foreign tourists” from countries that are on a list approved by Malaysian
authorities.
“This pilot project will be carried out for three months to
allow the Health Ministry and National Security Council to evaluate its viability before it can be widened to other tourism islands and spots in the country,”
Ismail Sabri said.
Foreign tourists would be required to get tested for
COVID-19 within 72 hours before departure and do another test upon arrival. They
would need to quarantine only if the arrival test showed they had COVID-19.
Additionally, tourists are required to stay at their
destination spot for at least three days, use the service of any tourism agency
approved by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and have insurance
coverage of a minimum of U.S. $80,000.
One economist said that if people didn’t follow health
protocols properly, there could be a rise in COVID-19 infections after the
tourism program begins. But at the same time, he said, the tourism industry
badly needs revival.
“It will be good for the tourism sector. But if COVID-19
figures rise again, just like is happening in the U.K. now, then we will have
more headaches in the future,” Nazari Ismail, an economist with the University of
Malaya, told BenarNews.
“But I think there is not much choice. People working in the
tourism sector need to earn a living to feed their families.”
Malaysia has vaccinated 94.3 percent of adults or around 72
percent of its population. And in the last two weeks, new infections have
stayed below 10,000 a day.
The government should institute some tighter health
protocols so that the gains from the high number of inoculations are not
erased, Nazari said.
Source: Noah
Lee and Nisha David, Kuala Lumpur, https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/malaysian/malaysia-allows-return-migrant-workers-10222021144646.html