Malaysia may end in March routine quarantine for foreigners

Feb 08, 2022 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck  

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Malaysia’s National Recovery Council (NRC) has proposed that from March 1, the country’s borders fully reopen to international travellers, and without mandatory quarantine, reported local media, citing Tuesday remarks by the council’s chairman, Muhyiddin Yassin (pictured in a file photo), a former prime minister of that nation.

Resorts World Genting, a property operated by Genting Malaysia Bhd, is the only casino complex in Malaysia. The venue had been a destination for foreign tourists prior to the Covid 19 pandemic.

A new MYR3.3-billion (US$789-million) theme park at Resorts World Genting, branded as Genting SkyWorlds, had a “soft opening” on Tuesday. Maybank Investment Bank Bhd said it expected the new park would bring incremental business to the complex.

Malaysia put travel restrictions on inbound visitors starting in early 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the plan to ease inbound international tourism, travellers would still need Covid-19 screening tests before and after arrival, said local media, citing Mr Yassin.

“It was recommended by the NRC that the country’s borders be fully opened in the due time to support the nation’s recovery,” the council’s chairman was quoted saying.

In other developments, the sale of bus and plane tickets for trips between Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore under the latter’s vaccinated travel lane (VTL) initiative, resumed on January 21, following suspension of the scheme in late December amid concerns about the spread of the Covid-19 variant Omicron.

Singapore’s VTL scheme has permitted fully-vaccinated travellers to be subjected to Covid-19 tests in lieu of serving quarantine, for journeys between those two places, and between Singapore and some other destinations.

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