KUALA LUMPUR (ANN/STRAITS TIMES) – Malaysia will re-open its borders to international visitors from April 1, allowing travellers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the country without quarantine, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday.
Visitors will be required to undergo pre-departure tests (RT-PCR) and upon-arrival tests (RTK-Antigen under professional supervision) 24 hours after arrival.
At present, visitors can enter Malaysia only via the Singapore and Langkawi travel bubbles for the fully vaccinated.
In an address broadcast live on several national television networks, Datuk Seri Ismail said the border re-opening was part of the move to transition into the “endemic” phase of living with the virus.
Malaysia shut its borders two years ago on March 18, 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was spreading rapidly around the world.
“The government has decided to re-open the country’s borders on 1 April,” he said.
“I believe this has been long-awaited by the people.
“This announcement will also boost the economy as a whole, in particular the tourism industry that has been badly-affected by the pandemic,” he added.
Travellers who wish to enter Malaysia only need to download the MySejahtera tracking application and fill up a pre-departure travel form.
International travellers will no longer be required to apply for MyTravelPass which would
be abolished.
While masks will still be mandatory during the transition phase, Datuk Seri Ismail announced further easing of Covid-19 rules beginning April 1.
Unvaccinated individuals will be allowed to cross state lines, and there will no longer be limits on opening hours or to the capacity of premises.
Malaysia has been keeping its economy open despite the Omicron wave of the pandemic with daily caseloads hitting record highs and hospitalisations around five-month highs.
Malaysia logged 26,856 daily new cases on Monday.
