KUALA LUMPUR – International and local travellers using the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) by air and land, the Langkawi International Travel Bubble (LITB) and the One Stop Centre (for short-term business visitors) will have to undergo Covid-19 testing for six days after arriving in Malaysia.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the requirement would take effect tomorrow and was aimed at strengthening the Health Ministry’s existing precautionary and control measures to prevent the transmission and spread of the Omicron variant in the country.
“Travellers under these categories must undergo a Covid-19 detection test upon arrival in Malaysia, RTK-Ag test or Rapid Antigen Test (self-test) on the second, fourth and sixth day after arrival.
“They would also need to undergo a professional RTK-Ag test on the third and fifth day after arriving. LITB travellers are required to undergo an RT-PCR test at least 48 hours earlier before leaving Langkawi island.
“All test results must be reported through the MySejahtera application,” he said in a statement today.
Khairy said those travellers must also ensure that they are fully vaccinated. Additionally, they are required to undergo RT-PCR tests at least 48 hours prior to their travel dates, replacing the previous requirement which was set to 72 hours before departure.
Meanwhile, he said travellers from five countries with reported cases of Omicron in the community – namely United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, France and Norway – will be required to get an RT-PCR swab test 48 hours prior to departing to Malaysia.
They also will be required to wear a digital tracking device at all times throughout their mandatory quarantine period, he added.
Khairy said travellers (Malaysian citizens and long-term visit pass holders) arriving from the eight countries temporarily under a travel ban must also wear a digital tracking device during their 14-day mandatory quarantine period at the designated isolation centres.
According to the minister, the precautionary measures will be reviewed from time to time.
As of yesterday, 43 countries have reported Omicron-related cases.
On November 27, Malaysia temporarily restricted travel from eight countries – namely, South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. – Bernama, December 8, 2021
