In his latest address to the nation, former Malaysian premier and current chairperson of the National Rehabilitation Council (MPN) Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin has announced that Malaysia is looking to reopen its borders completely on 1st March 2022. The suggestion was said to have been made in order to help support the nation’s rehabilitation and recovery from the pandemic.
National Recovery Council suggests to reopen M’sia borders by 1st March without compulsory quarantine
This would mean that international visitors who are entering Malaysia from 1st March 2022 will no longer be required to undergo any compulsory quarantine upon arrival. However, they will continue to be subjected to mandatory screening tests prior to their departure from their country of origin, and upon their arrival at any international points of entry in Malaysia as per recommendations by the Ministry of Health.
“The council suggested, firstly, that the nation’s borders be fully opened in the near future to support the recovery of the country.”
“In this regard, the MPN has agreed that the country’s borders could be fully opened as early as March 1, 2022 without the need for mandatory quarantine,” he said.
Citing Health Minister YB Khairy Jamaluddin, who was also present during the press conference, Muhyiddin said that the Omicron variant is now present in a number of countries, and that Malaysia can no longer afford to be selective by only allowing certain nations admission.
Additional measures & SOPs to be announced by MoH, if government agrees to reopen borders
Should the government be in agreement with this suggestion from the MPN, then additional preemptive measures to prevent the further transmission of COVID-19, as well as relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be announced by the Ministry of Health.
The suggestion of reopening of the country’s borders comes after the Singapore-Malaysia Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) was also recently reopened on 21st January 2022, after being briefly suspended by both nations in light of the recent emergence of the Omicron variant. Despite that fact, Malaysia remains largely closed-off to international arrivals, with only exceptions being made for the sake of local students studying abroad arriving home, permanent residents, as well as businessmen.
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