MALAYSIA’s borders will reopen as the country prepares to transition to the endemic stage on April 1, said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Ismail said with the transition, the country’s international borders will be opened to all travellers. 

“Malaysians can go to any country that has already opened its borders. This also means that travellers or foreigners with valid documents can enter and leave Malaysia without applying for a Mytravel pass,” said Ismail in a press conference this evening.

Ismail said that travellers would only need to download the MySejahtera app and fill up the pre-departure form before taking off.

“However, with the prevalence of the Omicron variant, we would like to advise everyone to continue adhering to several procedures.

“Those who have been fully vaccinated with two doses will not need to undergo quarantine but need to take the PCR test two days before departure and a professional RTK test within 24 hours of arrival,” he said.

For countries who have yet to open their borders fully, Ismail said Malaysians can use the ‘vaccinated travel lanes’ (VTL) for travelling.

“For example, Malaysians can use the VTL to enter Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia which have yet to fully open their international borders,” he added.

Touching on the government’s decision to move into the endemic phase, Ismail who was accompanied by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein during the press conference said the decision was made after considering several factors. 

“Our vaccination rate is one of the highest, hospital beds used to treat Covid-19 patients are low. But, in the endemic phase, people will still need to wear face masks in public,” he stressed.

Ismail announced the relaxation of some Covid-19 protocols but said Malaysians are still required to don a mask outside their homes and check-in with the MySejahtera app.

He said among the changes that will come into force on April 1 are:

• Eateries will be allowed to operate for 24 hours.

• Social distancing at religious events will be removed.

• 50% capacity limit for event venues like weddings will be removed but organisers have to ensure reasonable social distancing.

• It will be no longer be compulsory for anyone to be vaccinated for inter-state travel. – March 8, 2022.