THE mandatory quarantine period for travellers arriving in Malaysia will be extended, said Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The defence minister said the quarantine period for Malaysian and non-citizen travellers who have been granted permission to enter Malaysia from Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been extended from 14 days to 21 days.

The new requirement is currently in force for travellers from India following a spike in Covid-19 cases there brought about by the Indian variant.

He said those arriving from other countries will observe a 14-day quarantine instead of the usual 10 days.

However, he said, they may be subject to a longer quarantine period depending on their Covid-19 risk assessment on the 14th day. He said all travellers will be placed at designated quarantine centres set up by the government.

Ismail Sabri said all travellers must undergo the Covid-19 RT-PCR test three days before departing for Malaysia and will only be allowed to board if found negative.

“The RT-PCR test will also be done for a second time when travellers arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA),” he said.

“During the quarantine period, the test will be taken on the 10th day of quarantine, and again on the 18th day if a traveller’s quarantine period is extended for another 12 days.”

New Covid-19 cases remained above the 6,000 mark for the sixth consecutive day today, with 6,509 infections detected.

The country also reported a new high of 61 Covid-19 deaths, with 711 patients being treated in intensive care units. – May 24, 2021.