Travellers seen at Kuching International Airport. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (Dec 1): Malaysians and long-term visit pass holders (permanent resident status, spouse visa, Sarawak Malaysia My Second Home) returning to Malaysia from the eight countries on temporary travel restriction as listed by the Ministry of Health are allowed to enter Sarawak under certain conditions, said the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC).
SDMC said in its Covid-19 daily update that these also include those who have a travel history of within 14 days to these countries.
The decision came following Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s announcement today that the ministry has added Malawi to the list of temporary travel restrictions following the spread of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron.
The seven other countries are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
The conditions set by the committee with immediate effect are that travelers must apply for entry to the state via the EnterSarawak system and undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine at the first point of entry to Malaysia regardless of their vaccination status.
“There will be no home quarantine and transit to other destinations is not allowed until the quarantine period is completed,” said SDMC.
The committee also said that they must take the RT-PCR test three days prior to departure and that the swab test result on day 12 must be negative before they are permitted to end their quarantine.
“Travelers from abroad must also report their travel history to the officer at the airport.
“Legal action can be taken if they are found to have provided false information or failed to report their travel history,” SDMC added.
SDMC said the state will also temporarily bar the entry of non-Malaysian travelers who come from countries which have detected the Omicron variant; from listed high-risk countries with the new Covid-19 variant; or travelers with a history of travel to such countries within 14 days prior to arrival.
“We will also temporarily suspend the admission of international students and foreign workers from the countries involved,” said the committee.