KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia is transitioning into the endemic phase, it is easing more Covid-19 restrictions including allowing travellers who are fully-vaccinated against the virus to enter the country without undergoing quarantine from April.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said a protocol was developed to ensure safe destination for travellers and prevent overcrowding at entry points.
"Hence, foreign travellers were required to fulfil various pre-requisites before entering Malaysia, including uploading and activating the MySejahtera app and undergoing the RT-PCR Covid-19 test two days prior to their departure.
"If the travellers show no symptoms of Covid-19 when undergoing the thermal scanner screening, they can immediately proceed to the Immigration Department counters.
"All Covid-19 screening facilities at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and klia2 would also be closed from April 1," he said in a Press conference.
Instead, travellers could undergo professional RTK-Antigen tests either at private healthcare facilities at the airport or centres outside the premises within 24 hours, with results updated in the app, said Khairy.
Failing to do so, their MySejahtera status would turn red, and they will be banned from entering business premises and face deportation, he said.
He said travellers were also required to have Covid-19 insurance and state their accommodation address in Malaysia and would be sent to the private healthcare institutes should their results turn out positive.
Children aged 6 and below, however, were not required to undergo Covid-19 tests, he said.
"For individuals who were infected by Covid-19 between six and 60 days prior to their travels, they are required to report and upload the RTK-Antigen result of test conducted by professionals two days prior to the departure.
"After fulfilling these requirements, they will have traveller's card in the MySejahtera app for those who are fully vaccinated or five-day Home Surveillance Order (HSO) for partially-vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals."
Khairy said those without traveller's card or the HSO would be stopped from continuing their journey right at the airline's check-in counter.
Should the Covid-19 tests turn out positive, fully-vaccinated travellers would be placed under seven-day HSO at their accommodation for Category 1 and 2, while those with severe symptoms would be referred to either private hospital or PKRC (Covid-19 Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centre).
Meanwhile, partially-vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers infected by Covid-19 would undergo 10-day HSO, he said.
"Fully-vaccinated travellers with negative Covid-19 result are not required to undergo quarantine, while partially or unvaccinated individuals will undergo mandatory five-day quarantine at their accommodation if their results turned out negative under an RT-PCR test on the fourth day, or RTK-Antigen test conducted by professionals on the fifth day.
"They will be placed under additional five-day quarantine if the second sample turned out positive."
Khairy was previously reported as saying that the ministry would ensure the entry processing time would be shortened from about one hour to between 35 and 45 minutes.