Just a few days after the United States of America (USA) had opened its border to the world, Indonesia is set to be the next country to open its door to Malaysia.
The matter was decided yesterday (10 November) during our Prime Minister, Dato Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s 3-day official visit to Jakarta, Indonesia. A lot was discussed during the meeting between Ismail Sabri and the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo and one of the discussions included the re-opening of borders between the two countries.
According to a report by Astro Awani, Ismail Sabri had announced that Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to launch a travel corridor under the arrangement of Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL). The decision was made following the Covid-19 condition in both countries, which have taken a turn for the better.
“And I have agreed with the president, that the relevant ministers will look into more detail so that we can start opening the two countries,” Sabri said.
According to Channel News Asia, the travel lane will give priorities to the following groups that are fully vaccinated,
- Official and business travellers
- Medical and humanitarian-purposed travellers
The plan at this current stage only includes the route between Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur to Bali, with the borders opening somewhere early next year. The date is yet to be determined and the Vaccinated Travel Lane will be quarantine-free and only opened to fully vaccinated travellers.
Additionally, in an effort to strengthen the existing understanding and cooperation, Malaysia and Indonesia will be celebrating the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the 2 countries next year.
In the meantime, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin also revealed via his Twitter post that aside from Indonesia, the discussions involving vaccinated travel lanes are also ongoing with Brunei and Thailand.
Are you excited that more countries are opening up their doors? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: The United States Open Its Borders To Fully Vaccinated Travellers Without Quarantine
