Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin also addressed the country’s refresher program, citizens’ full vaccination status, as well as the most recent confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in the country.
Malaysia’s Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, said that Malaysia’s residents will have to adhere to a new set of Standard Operating Instructions (SOPs) as the country approaches the end of the year holidays last press conference on December 16, 2021 (Thursday)which revolves around:
- Test protocols for travelers from the United Kingdom (UK) and Omicron affected countries;
- Celebrations for the festive season (i.e. Christmas and New Years Eve / day);
- Booster program and
- This is how you keep the status “full vaccination”.
Below you will find the four segments explained in detail.
# 1 test protocols for travelers from the UK
For starters, valid from December 17th, 2021 (Friday), all incoming travelers from the UK must:
- Before departure:
- Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) will be tested two days before departure for Malaysia.
- At the arrival:
- Undergo RT-PCR testing and
- Always wear a digital tracker on your wrist.
- Quarantine:
- Undergo a seven days Quarantine for fully vaccinated and a 10 day Quarantine for non and partially vaccinated persons;
- Perform self-rapid antigen tests (RT-Ag). Daily, and send the test results in the MySejahtera app, and
- Undergo an RT-PCR test on day five (for those in a seven-day quarantine) and day eight (for those in a 10-day quarantine).
The quarantine logs apply at the quarantine location, which can either be at home or at designated quarantine stations “depending on the status of the home quarantine application”. For post-quarantine procedures, the risk assessment will be performed on the last day of quarantine (day seven or day 10).
If there are symptomatic signs, the quarantine will be extended. However, Malaysians will be released on the eighth or 10th day if the result is negative on the fifth or eighth day of quarantine.
These test protocols, Minister Khairy said, are due to the increasing number of confirmed cases of the Omicron-COVID-19 variant and are part of the ministry’s control and prevention efforts.
# 2 test protocols for travelers from countries with confirmed cases of Omicron
In Minister Khairy’s previous announcement, travel restrictions apply to travelers from countries with confirmed cases from Omicron such as Australia, the United States, Norway, France and the United Kingdom. According to its latest announcement, the list has been updated to include four more countries: Denmark, Canada, Nigeria and India.
This means that travelers from these countries must adhere to the following test protocols:
- Before departure:
- Undergo a COVID-19 PCR test two days before leaving for Malaysia.
- At the arrival:
- Undergo a COVID-19 PCR test and
- Wear a digital tracker on your wrist at all times upon arrival at Passport Malaysia Antarabangsa (PMA).
- Quarantine:
- Undergo seven days Quarantine for fully vaccinated persons and a Day 10 Quarantine for non and partially vaccinated persons;
- Undergo a PCR test on day five (for those in a seven-day quarantine) and day eight (for those in a ten-day quarantine).
Likewise, travelers coming from the UK must follow the testing protocols in # 1 (i.e. performing RT-Ag tests Daily, and sending test results via the MySejahtera app). Otherwise, travelers from other nations have to observe the above-mentioned test protocol in # 2.
The quarantine logs also apply at the quarantine location, which can either be at home or at designated quarantine stations “depending on the status of the home quarantine application”. For post-quarantine procedures, the risk assessment will be performed on the last day of quarantine (day seven or day 10).
If there are symptomatic signs, the quarantine will be extended. That is, they will be released on the eighth day or on the 10th day if the result is negative on the fifth or eighth day of the quarantine.
# 3 SOPs for the upcoming holidays
In the same line of announcement from the minister, he had highlighted that Malaysians would not be allowed to hold any form of large parties on the upcoming public holidays (ie Christmas, New Years Eve and New Year).
Small parties with family and friends are allowed, however – and attendees must undergo COVID-19 PCR tests before attending such parties.
# 4 booster program
On the subject of booster vaccinations, Minister Khairy also announced that the country’s mega-vaccination center (pusat pemberian vaksin mega) will be restored to speed up booster vaccinations and it will begin in Klang Valley initially.
# 5 “Complete vaccination” status
Everyone aged 60 and over who has been fully vaccinated with their respective vaccine type (i.e. two doses) and anyone aged 18 and over who has been fully vaccinated (i.e. two doses) with the Sinovac vaccine must receive a booster vaccination by February 2022 in order to to achieve the status “full vaccination”.
Beyond this series of announcements On December 16, 2021 (Thursday), the Minister of Health also issued an opinion share the Omicron situation in Malaysia as the nation saw two confirmed cases of the Omicron variant; one of them is about an eight year old Malaysian who lived in Lagos, Nigeria. Minister Khairy stated that although “the RT-PCR test result was negative in the case before leaving for Malaysia,” the RT-PCR test results of the case upon arrival on the 7th.
The Malaysian girl and her family have shown no symptoms but will be isolated at home for 14 days.
“The mother, sister, father and the taxi driver who brought the case from the KLIA to the dormitory, and his family, showed negative results on the fifth and eleventh days,” said Minister Khairy COVID-19 RT-PCR test for the taxi driver is ongoing. “
Image / Ministry of Health Malaysia
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