Malaysia eases restrictions on domestic, international travel as COVID cases decline

Malaysia, on Sunday, October 10, announced the lifting of restrictions on domestic and international travel for the fully vaccinated people against COVID-19. As the fierce Coronavirus outbreak in the Southeast Asian country toned down and the inoculation rate is spiking, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a televised address that the fully jabbed people can now move freely within the country and also fly to other nations without any special permission. He announced that the vaccination rate in the country has reached 90 per cent.

Malaysia recently witnessed the worst outbreak of the COVID-19 wave triggering authorities to impose a stringent nationwide lockdown. However, Ismail’s remarks on Sunday came as the number of COID-19 cases decreased and the inoculation speed was ramped up across the nation. Now the Malaysian government is gradually easing the restrictions and workers are also reportedly returning to offices with businesses reopening. 

In a televised address, the Malaysian PM said, “According to the ministry of health, the vaccination rate for the adult population has reached 90 per cent,” while also warning the people to continue adhering to the Coronavirus guidelines such as wearing masks in a bid to prevent further spread. He also said, “Do not be complacent this is important in the government's efforts to reopen the economy.”

More about Malaysia’s eased restrictions

Malaysians will be allowed to cross the state borders freely from Monday, 11 October. The only requirement for achieving free movement by applying for the ‘MyTravelPass’ scheme has been dropped for the citizens who are fully vaccinated against Coronavirus, Ismail said. The scheme provided special permission only to selected citizens. Notably, even though the requirement is being dropped, the travellers returning to the country would still need to undergo quarantine. 

Malaysia had emerged from the first wave of COVID-19 by largely avoiding it, especially when the pandemic hit last year. However, with the emergence of the Delta variant, the Southeast Asian country was severely impacted and was registering more than 20,000 cases each day along with hundreds of casualties in August. The country, of at least 32 million, has registered more than 2.3 million cases of Coronavirus and around 27,000 deaths.

Image: AP