The council considers reopening the borders on March 1 without quarantine requirements

Malaysia's borders should be reopened without enforced quarantine by March 1, according to Muhyiddin Yassin, chairman of the National Recovery Council.

He said that this was the way to go because the country had high immunisation rates and less hospital admissions.

"However, the reopening of the borders should be done in a timely and orderly manner, depending on current danger assessments," he stated today in a statement.

The capacity of the health ministry to reduce hospital admissions of Category 3 to 5, or more severe Covid-19 cases, was a crucial component in the push to reopen the borders, according to Muhyiddin.

He claimed Malaysia has one of the greatest vaccination rates in the world, with 98 percent of adults immunised and 78 percent of the general population, regardless of age, having received their vaccinations.

Separately, Muhyiddin stated that the construction industry can expect a long-term, "structural" solution to its concerns with material costs and foreign labour shortages.

He predicted that the Construction Industry Development Board will come up with solutions to the difficulties.

Micro, small, and medium-sized businesses can also expect grants and loans to be distributed in a more methodical and non-overlapping manner, he said.