Passengers walk at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang of Selangor, Malaysia, March 9, 2022. Malaysia will start the transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic and reopen its borders to international travelers from April 1, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia will start the transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic and reopen its borders to international travelers from April 1, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday.
The decision was made due to the successful national immunization campaign against COVID-19 and represents an exit strategy to enable Malaysians to return almost to normal life after a two-year battle with COVID-19, Ismail Sabri said in a televised speech.
He also announced the easing of several restrictions, including restaurants being allowed to operate past 12:00 a.m. and the 50 percent limit on the capacity for mass events will no longer be implemented.
However, the use of face masks in public places will still be mandated as well as the use of the country's COVID-19 management app being required to access venues.
On the reopening of the borders to international travelers, Ismail Sabri said he is confident that the move will boost the country's economy.
"We believe that our tourism sector, which has been affected by this closure, will be able to operate fully once again," he said.
Under the endemic phase, fully vaccinated travelers do not need to undergo quarantine upon returning to Malaysia but instead, they will only need to get tested prior to their departure and upon arrival.
Malaysia's air vaccinated travel lane (VTL) program with Cambodia and Thailand will begin on March 15, with the same program between Malaysia and Singapore to be expanded to include other points of entry into Malaysia.
Malaysia reported 26,856 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Monday, bringing the national total to 3,649,463, according to the health ministry, and a further 77 deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 33,305. ■
Airplanes of Malaysia Airlines are picutured at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang of Selangor, Malaysia, March 9, 2022. Malaysia will start the transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic and reopen its borders to international travelers from April 1, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
A passenger walks at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang of Selangor, Malaysia, March 9, 2022. Malaysia will start the transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic and reopen its borders to international travelers from April 1, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
An airplane flies above the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang of Selangor, Malaysia, March 9, 2022. Malaysia will start the transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic and reopen its borders to international travelers from April 1, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
