THE Malaysian Immigration Department’s autogate system will be temporarily closed at international entry points to enable officials to question travellers entering about their travel history in light of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, the Health Minister said.

This is effective immediately, Khairy Jamaluddin told a press conference today.

“The immigration department will have to question those entering the country as to whether they have visited high-risk countries,” he said at the event in Putrajaya.

The autogate system is used to read the biometric information in Malaysian passports and authenticate the holder’s identity.

Travellers entering Malaysia from countries that have reported cases of the Omicron variant, as well as those regarded as high-risk, will only be allowed to enter the country via the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), he added.

These travellers must pass through a special gate that airport authorities are to establish.

To facilitate this, airlines also have a role to play by identifying travellers from countries that report Omicron cases and countries that are at high-risk of the variant’s transmission, Khairy added.

“Information on travellers from these countries must be submitted to the KLIA health office to facilitate the handling of their arrival.

“Special routes will be provided for those arriving from high-risk countries for health screening processes and coordination of a special quarantine centre.”

As of yesterday, 20 countries have reported infections involving the Omicron variant, Khairy said.

While more time is needed to understand the virus and the severity of its infection, global health authorities have noted the high number of mutations in this variant that makes it more transmissible than previous strains. – December 1, 2021.