KUALA LUMPUR – Restrictions on the entry of foreigners into Malaysia are made based on the scoring board of a risk assessment matrix, which can provide a clear picture of the risk from imported Covid-19 cases into the country.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Special Functions) Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof said the criteria used to calculate the risk include the number of Covid-19 cases, death rate for one million people in the last 14 days and the death toll, as well as recovery index.
“These imported cases have a big impact on the country because they use Malaysian facilities for treatment when they were actually infected abroad.
“This will disrupt the government’s healthcare services because the country’s main responsibility is to provide the best healthcare services, including Covid-19 treatment, to Malaysians and not foreigners entering the country,” he said at the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Dr Ong Kian Ming (PH-Bangi), who wanted to know the reason behind the blanket ban imposed in September on all citizens from countries where Covid-19 cases have reached 150,000, including those with valid entry permits, such as participants of the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme and expatriates.
Redzuan said the government’s decision to impose restrictions on 23 countries deemed high-risk in early September was an immediate measure as the government did not have sufficient data on the Covid-19 situation and control methods implemented in those countries at that time.
He said the move was to protect Malaysians as it was feared there could be spike in Covid-19 cases in those countries, as well as risk of infection here.
“During the temporary ban, the government obtained the latest information and re-evaluated the risks. Accordingly, on September 10, the government decided that expatriates in the Employment Pass 1 (EP) category and technical experts or skilled workers from 23 countries, are allowed to enter Malaysia.
“They are required to submit an application to the Immigration Department first and submit supporting documents from the Malaysian Investment Development Board or the relevant ministries/agencies. They are also subject to the mandatory quarantine order for 14 days at a quarantine station set by the government,” he said.
He said the government will continue to study the matter from time to time to allow entry from targeted countries using the travel bubble concept. – Bernama, December 2, 2020
