Country's Transition to Endemic Phase from April 1: Things to Know

The country will be moving into the endemic phase of COVID-19 from April 1, as announced by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday.

In case you missed the important announcement, here are some pertinent points that you should know:

• The country's borders will be reopened, and fully vaccinated inviduals will no longer need to undergo quarantine.
• Anyone entering the country must undergo RT-PCR test two days before departure and an RTK-Ag test within 24 hours upon arrival.
• The wearing of face masks in public is still mandatory.
• Checking in at premises using MySejahtera will still be implemented, but no check in will be required at open areas, such as parks.
• The restrictions on business opening hours will be lifted. This means that restaurants and convenience stores which used to operate 24 hours can do so again from April 1.
• The MyTravelPass, an online system that Malaysians and foreigners apply for entry or exit permits during the COVID-19 pandemic, will no longer be used, but visitors to the country will still need to download and use the MySejahtera app upon arrival.
• Mosques and non-Muslim houses of worship can operate at full capacity.
• There will be no capacity restrictions for events like wedding & conferences.
• Limits on number of employees at a workplace based on vaccination rates will be abolished.
• Interstate travel is open to all, regardless of vaccination status.
• Those who test positive for COVID-19 will still need to abide by the existing guidelines and standard operating procedures issued by the Health Ministry.

According to Ismail, the measures were decided upon after taking into consideration the country's high vaccination rate, low hospital bed usage for COVID-19 patients, and other risk factors.

Malaysia had initially planned to enter the endemic phase late last year but it was put on hold after the emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.


Source: FMT
Photo source: The Straits Times