Malaysia could reopen to international travellers in November

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

Malaysia plans to reopen to international tourists in November, and visitors from Singapore may be among the first to be admitted, according to Malaysia's tourism minister.

Nancy Shukri, the minister, said she will meet with Singapore authorities next week to discuss restoring cross-border travel between the two countries.
She also stated that Malaysia would "very soon" open its doors to Singapore.

"We are open to Singapore as long as Singapore is open to us," Nancy said on Thursday on CNBC's "Street Signs Asia."

 

When asked when a deal with Singapore will be finalised, the minister stated that she is "quite optimistic" that it will be done by November.

The Singapore government has not responded to CNBC's request for comment.

Before the Covid-19 outbreak, over 300,000 people crossed the Malaysia-Singapore land border every day, and the air route connecting Singapore and Malaysia's major city, Kuala Lumpur, was one of the busiest in the world.

 

Malaysians working in Singapore and Singaporeans working in Malaysia can currently cross the land border if they meet specific standards under a bilateral agreement known as the Periodic Commuting Arrangement.

 

People authorised to enter Malaysia outside of that plan include Malaysian nationals, diplomats, and those who have received authorisation from immigration authorities.
If you're fully vaccinated, you'll be quarantined for seven days; if you're partially or not vaccinated, you'll be quarantined for ten days.

Meanwhile, quarantine-free travel has been made available to vaccinated passengers from several nations, including the United States and the United Kingdom, but not to Malaysians.

 

Based on the risk of Covid transmission, Singapore divides nations and areas into four categories and implements border controls appropriately.
Malaysia is in category IV, which includes places considered to be the most dangerous.