In a statement, Malaysia’s Coronavirus Recovery Council said it has recommended reopening its borders without mandatory quarantine on March 1 as part of efforts to accelerate economic recovery.
Since March 2020, the Southeast Asian nation has closed its borders and frozen foreign worker entry in an effort to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.
It comes as neighbours, such as Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore, waive quarantine requirements to attract vaccinated tourists.
According to reports on Monday, Thailand is seeking a partnership with Malaysia and China to create travel bubbles.
Former premier Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also the chairman of the National Recovery Council (NRC), said travellers will be subjected to COVID-19 screening before departing and during their arrival. The move means visitors will be able to visit, and investors will be able to make investments. It also means AirAsia, which is based in Malaysia, can resume flights, as an example.
Malaysia currently allows Singaporeans to enter quarantine-free under a bilateral agreement.
The Omicron strain of Coronavirus is responsible for driving a surge in daily Coronavirus infections in Malaysia over the past few weeks.
On Tuesday, it reported 13,944 new cases, adding to its total of over 2.9 million infections, along with over 32,000 deaths, ranking it as one of Asia’s highest infection and mortality rates.
