Australian bushfires: Malaysians urged to postpone non-essential travel plans
By Nuradzimmah Daim - January 2, 2020 @ 6:54pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Wisma Putra has urged Malaysians to defer non-essential travel plans to areas affected by bushfires in Australia until the situation improves.
In a statement, the ministry said this advice followed a seven-day state of emergency declared by the New South Wales authorities starting Jan 3 due to the bushfires affecting many states in Australia, especially the east coast.
Other badly affected areas included Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
“The ministry wishes to advise Malaysians in the affected areas to give utmost priority to safety and security; and follow instructions by local and regional authorities.”
As the Australian authorities continue to fight the deadly bushfires in the eastern coast, residents in affected states continue to take precautionary measures to mitigate the effects of haze.
Malaysian June Ramli said she had to spend most of her time indoors due to a bout of cough and flu.
She said she was able to work from home during the New Year holidays, thus limiting her outdoor activities.
“I haven't been going out much, except for today, when I went to office.
“While walking to the bus stop at around 6.10am (local time), I noticed that the air quality was very bad.
“However, the situation was the worst on Dec 10, where the visibility was so low and we could literally see and smell the smoke.
“There were however some days when we had clear skies as the wind blew the haze away,” said June who works in Sydney as news editor for a web portal.
CNN reported that the Australian state of New South Wales had declared a state of emergency and could resort to forced evacuations in fire-stricken areas.
The Guardian news agency meanwhile reported the smoke was the worst since the 2003 bushfires, with air quality index (AQI) in Australia’s capital city Canberra peaking at 7,700 on Wednesday.
It also reported that the Australian bushfires had caused the New Zealand haze, with its South Island shrouded by orange skies and smoky air.
An AQI reading of between 0 and 50 indicates “good” air quality; 51 and 100 (moderate); 101 and 150 (unhealthy for sensitive groups); 151 and 200 (unhealthy); 201 and 300 (very unhealthy), and 300 and above (hazardous).
Malaysians requiring consular assistance may contact the High Commission of Malaysia in Canberra, the Consulate General of Malaysia in Melbourne, or the Consulate of Malaysia in Sydney as per the following contact details:
*High Commission of Malaysia in Canberra
7 Perth Avenue
Yarralumla ACT 2600
Canberra, Australia
Telephone: +612 61200300 / 310 or +614 16334901
Email: mwcanberra@kln.gov.my
*Consulate General of Malaysia in Melbourne
Level 1, No. 432 St Kilda Road
Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
Telephone: +613 9573 5400 or +61 434 950 600
Email: mwmelbourne@kln.gov.my
*Consulate of Malaysia in Sydney
67 Victoria Road, Bellevue Hill, NSW 2023
Sydney, Australia
Telephone: +61 02 9327 7596 or +61 02 9327 7565
Email: contact@ema.org.au