As the countries in the region are slowly recovering from Covid-19 as well as lowering the risk of future transmission, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has revealed that Malaysia has begun discussions with Japan, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, with the goal of opening its borders to these countries. He said, as reported by The Star,
“We need to discuss and finalise the SOP (standard operating procedure) between the countries. For example, do we need to quarantine the arrivals? Any SOP must be mutual and reciprocal. We are still in an early stage of discussion with these countries.”
Dr Noor Hisham elaborated further saying that countries will have to mutually agree on all the conditions needed during this pandemic. Once everything is finalized, then the business, education and tourism sectors between the countries can finally be opened. At the moment, Malaysia’s borders remain closed but ambassadors and those under Malaysia My Second Home Programme have been allowed home under strict SOPs.
What do you think of this idea? Is it good to finally open our borders to these countries? Are you excited to be able to travel again? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section!
Also read: New Zealand Reports 2 New Covid-19 Cases After Being Declared Virus-Free For 24 Days
