Rokiah Mahmud, James Kon & Fadley Faisal
Exit and entry via land and sea ports are to be aligned to existing air travel guidelines, said Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof during a press conference yesterday.
This meant travellers crossing Brunei Darussalam’s land and sea borders must be fully vaccinated, citizens and permanent residents to have travel insurance with COVID-19 treatment coverage prior to exiting the country and the arrival declaration form completed before entering the country, said the minister.
For any type of outbound or inbound travel, citizens and permanent residents of Brunei Darussalam with three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are considered fully vaccinated, or if they obtained their second dose no more than three months prior to the departure date.
“For those unvaccinated or have not completed their vaccination schedule, it is advisable to do so immediately to avoid more severe symptoms,” said the minister.
Foreign nationals are considered fully vaccinated if they have at least two doses of the vaccine. “However, foreigners who wish to enter the country are encouraged to obtain a booster first,” said the minister.
Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah said all travellers will still need to buy insurance.
“Even for a day, border hoppers need to buy insurance,” the minister said, suggesting frequent travellers or daily commuters purchase insurance that would cover a month or several months of expected travel.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar said the number of cases in Categories 4 and 5 has remained low.
There are no cases in Category 5, while there are seven cases in Category 4 requiring respiratory assistance and close monitoring, said the minister.
One person with COVID-19 has passed away in the past 24 hours, though not categorised as a death due to the virus. The minister also extended condolences to the family of the deceased.
