Malaysia's borders to reopen on April 1, no quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers

Malaysia will reopen its international borders on April 1, including the land routes between Singapore and Johor, as the country transits to a Covid-19 endemic stage, said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Tuesday (Mar 8).

There will be no quarantine for travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. They will, however, need to take a Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test 2 days before departure and a professional Rapid Test Kit-Antigen (RTK-Ag) test within 24 hours after arriving in Malaysia.

For Malaysian citizens with valid travel documents, there will be no more restrictions imposed on them and they will be allowed to travel freely to other countries that have reopened their borders.

"I believe (the reopening of the borders) has been long-awaited by the people. This announcement will also boost the economy as a whole, in particular the tourism industry that has been badly affected by the pandemic," said PM Ismail at a press conference. "Most importantly, Malaysia is now a destination that is open and can be visited by all."

Currently, 97.5 per cent of Malaysia's adult population are fully vaccinated, with 64 per cent having received a booster shot.

Since the start of the pandemic, Malaysia has recorded a total of 3.62 million infections. The country reported 26,856 new cases on Mar 7, but only 0.7 per cent are serious cases that need to be hospitalised.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 8.30 am

Asean Business

Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies.

Sign Up

According to Malaysia's Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, the country has lost around RM300 billion (S$97.9 billion) in tourism-related expenditure in 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic and prolonged lockdown.

More than 100 hotels have shut down either temporarily or permanently, resulting in over 20,000 people losing their jobs, said the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH).

The tourism sector contributed RM240.2 billion, or close to 16 per cent of Malaysia's gross domestic product in 2019.

The announcement of the border reopening was welcomed by the business community, especially those in the tourism and retail industries.

Malaysia Shopping Malls Association president Teo Chiang Kok said he looked forward to the return of international tourists.

"Most of our population are fully vaccinated and boosted, especially frontliners who are in tourism-related industries. With all the health protocols in place for admitting tourism, we believe there are adequate safeguards to re-open our tourist trade confidently," he told The Business Times.

He added that the country used to receive over 20 million tourists a year before the pandemic, but this number dropped to just 4.3 million in 2020.

With the impending return of foreigners, Retail Group Malaysia managing director Tan Hai Hsin said this would give a boost to businesses that are highly dependent on tourism, such as food and beverage, gift and souvenirs, and arts and craft.

As Malaysia enters the endemic phase, he noted that the government and retailers would need to follow the SOPs closely to avoid a spike of positive cases, which might lead to the government tightening its measures again. "Retailers cannot afford another lockdown," he said.

National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia president Low Kian Chuan said the border reopening was timely to help restore domestic economic and business activities, including those in tourism, aviation, retail, hotels and F&B.

"We believe that the reopening of borders in a safe and responsible manner will be able to reinforce a sustainable business recovery," he said.

MAH chief executive Yap Lip Seng hoped that the news would encourage more people to return to work in the tourism industry or consider a career in hospitality.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Tourist Guides' Association president Peter Pan is concerned that some businesses such as hotels, restaurants and transport companies may not be able to cope with increased demand in the initial stages after the borders reopen on April 1.

"They may experience some hiccups due to staff shortages in the beginning stage," said Pan, who shared that more than 10,000 tourist guides nationwide have lost their main source of income during the pandemic.

On the real estate front, KGV International Property Consultants (Johor) executive director Samuel Tan is hopeful that international investors who are keen on real estate investments in Malaysia's southern region will return.

Despite the challenging market, he revealed that there have been investors have expressed interest in larger plots of land in Medini and buildings in prime areas with good recurring income.

"The reopening of the borders will be an added boost to Malaysia's property market," he added.