ALMOST two years into the pandemic, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced on March 8 that Malaysia will reopen its borders on April 1.

At the same time, the government will also relax the standard operating procedure (SOP) for disease control. There will be no more restrictions on the movements of the unvaccinated, opening hours and mass gatherings while physical distancing will no longer be required during prayers.

Although it was only a matter of time before the borders are reopened, it came as a surprise to some that the announcement was made at a time of high daily Covid-19 cases.

When Khairy Jamaluddin delivered his first speech last year as health minister, he warned Malaysians and the communities to accept the fact that we have to “live with the virus”.

Some might argue that at the time Malaysia hadn’t been hit by the Omicron wave.

The prime minister’s recent announcement emphasised the transition as a policy response, given that the Omicron wave is expected to slow down in the weeks to come.

Policy continuity

We should not forget that there are continuous efforts to soften the ground for the reopening of the international borders, a prime example of which is the Langkawi “travel bubble” plan initiated since November 2021.

Since then, the government has upgraded the MySejahtera app with a tracing system (MySJ Trace) and allowed people to declare their Covid-19 positive status.

Meanwhile, the health authority has done away with the requirement for quarantine wristbands and relaxed the quarantine policy for close contacts.

This shows that government is preparing the people for an endemic phase transition.

It is also clear that the government has been working hard since the turn of the year to increase full vaccination and booster rates in the country’s population.

Some doubts still remain: the pandemic is not over and the World Health Organization (WHO) has not announced that the Covid-19 pandemic has transitioned to endemic.

So are we ready for the borders to reopen?

Unfortunately, many misunderstood when the PM announced that Malaysia would begin transitioning into the endemic phase starting from April 1. That does not mean Malaysia is now in an endemic phase.

The high vaccination rate is one major factor that is enabling border reopening.

Although the daily number of confirmed cases is still in the five-figure range, the number of Covid-19 patients in stages 3-5 is only about 0.7%.

Compared to the Delta-led pandemic wave peak last August, the situation now is vastly different in terms of our healthcare system’s ability to cope.

Self-discipline and self-awareness

The government’s policy is to help everyone find a balance between lives and livelihoods. Although the new SOPs looked more relaxed, that does not mean that everyone can abandon their individual responsibility to prevent spread of the menace. 

For example, close contacts still need to exercise self-discipline and test themselves on the third and fifth day from the last contact date and immediately report symptoms that appear.

If one is a high-risk person, it is only sensible that one should avoid going to crowded places. One must always be aware of the need to protect oneself and others from infection, and strictly follow the rules of self-quarantine when one becomes Covid-19 positive. 

If people continue to wander around as if nothing is wrong, then the pandemic will continue and the daily confirmed cases will remain high.

Reopening the international borders is certainly great news for those who haven’t travelled abroad for a long time. 

This policy is expected to revive the country’s economy, especially the tourism industry that has been heavily affected by the pandemic. 

Last but not least, one should take note of the timing of the major announcement this time around.

It was made about a month before the new policy takes effect. This shows that the government has learned the hard way from its past experience of implementing a new SOP. In the past, chaos and confusion emerged a day or two before the SOP took effect.  

With the concerted efforts from both the state and society, we can perhaps ward off the threat of Covid-19 while returning to normal life. – March 21, 2022.

* Esther Sinirisan Chong is a member of Agora Society. She was born and raised in the Land Below the Wind. Her research interest lies in education and government policies, and the history and heritage of East Malaysia.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.