Travellers entering Malaysia via Johor must submit COVID-19 home quarantine application a week before arrival

KUALA LUMPUR: Travellers entering Malaysia through the Johor international gateway must submit an application to undergo mandatory quarantine at their home or another residence at least seven days prior to their arrival.

Travellers would also need to undergo a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test no later than three days before departure, said health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah on Saturday (Aug 28).

The risk assessment for travellers is made based on the application for compulsory quarantine at home and the premises can be used as a quarantine place if it meets the prescribed conditions, he added.

Among the conditions are that the citizen or foreign traveller must have a house or place of residence in Malaysia, tested negative for COVID-19, be fully vaccinated, and that the house or place of residence is appropriate.

“Individuals receiving Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Moderna and Sinopharm vaccines must have passed the 14th day from the date of the second vaccination dose, while recipients of single-dose vaccines such as Johnson & Johnson and CanSino must have passed the 28th day from the date of the jab.

"Citizens and foreign travellers who do not meet the requirement and qualification will have to undergo compulsory quarantine at government-gazetted quarantine centres at their own expense," he said in a statement on COVID-19 developments.

Dr Noor Hisham said all travellers would have to undergo a health assessment and a PCR test again upon arrival at the international gateway.

Travellers with mild symptoms are required to undergo further testing and they will be allowed to quarantine at home. However, further action may be taken depending on the test results.

"Travellers who experience moderate or severe symptoms will be referred to an infectious disease physician and further action based on health assessment and expert decision.

"The mandatory quarantine period for travellers from all countries is 14 days. However, it will be extended for another seven days if there is a need based on the results of their risk assessment and additional quarantine will be implemented at the same residence, house, or quarantine centre," he added.

Malaysia reported more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases for the fifth straight day on Saturday with 22,597 new infections.

The country has now logged more than 1.68 million cases since the start of the pandemic.