Malaysia to reopen borders from April 1

Malaysia will reopen its borders on April 1 after two years of strict travel restrictions, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced on Tuesday.

Fully vaccinated tourists are not required to quarantine upon entry, but must undergo PCR testing two days before departure and antigen testing within 24 hours of arrival.

Ismail Sabri Yakob said in a televised speech that the Southeast Asian nation will begin transitioning to the Covid-19 epidemic next month due to the country's high vaccination rate.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia closed its borders and imposed strict travel restrictions in March 2020, largely barring foreign tourists and requiring returning citizens to quarantine upon arrival .

The Prime Minister said that from next month, tourists will no longer need to apply for the "My Travel Pass" scheme, and restrictions on business hours, gatherings, social distancing and interstate travel will also be eased from next month.

Malaysia also plans to sign tourism agreements with Brunei, Thailand and Indonesia, and has an existing "vaccine travel corridor" agreement with Singapore.

Malaysia Airlines Group CEO Izam Ismail welcomed the news, commenting:

"This is a momentous moment in Malaysia's long-term battle against the Covid-19 pandemic, and a beacon of economic recovery for sectors such as aviation, which have been severely affected since the border closures two years ago."

He added that the group will work closely with authorities to resume temporarily suspended flights and increase the frequency of flights to key markets, hoping to reach about 70% of pre-COVID-19 capacity by the end of 2022.

Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines have also lifted quarantines for fully vaccinated travelers.