KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia is beefing up surveillance at its international entry points by screening all travellers for fever and testing wastewater samples from aircraft coming from China amid the soaring number of Covid-19 cases there.
The Health Ministry said the wastewater samples will be sent to the National Public Health Laboratory for polymerase chain reaction testing before being dispatched for genome sequencing if the results are positive for Covid-19.
“All travellers arriving from abroad, including China, at the international entry points will undergo fever screening. Those who have been detected with fever, symptoms, or through self-declaration, will be referred to a quarantine centre or the health authorities for re-examination. In the event of suspected Covid-19, a test will be carried out,” Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa said on Friday.
“To improve detection of any new variants, all cases of influenza-like illnesses and severe acute respiratory infections in healthcare facilities with a travel history to China in the last 14 days, or with any contact with individuals with a travel history to China in the last 14 days, will be tested with RTK-Ag (antigen rapid test kit) Covid-19 test and then genome sequencing if they are found positive with Covid-19,” she added.
It is not clear when temperature taking will start or if it will be rolled out at land and sea entry points as well.
The additional precautionary measures were announced to deal with a potential upsurge of travellers from China after the country recently announced the reopening of its borders for international travel from Jan 8, 2023, after almost three years of self-isolation. China’s border has been effectively closed since February 2020 as it maintained a zero-Covid policy.
Based on official figures provided by the World Health Organisation, the ministry said there were 148,659 new Covid-19 infections and 442 new deaths in China from Dec 11 to 17.
Following China’s decision to reopen its borders, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke on Friday said his country would see a spike in flight demand.
According to a report, Malaysia is one of the top 10 countries that Chinese nationals want to visit.
The country’s tourism industry players on Thursday expressed eagerness in receiving visitors from China following the relaxation.
The Malaysia Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) said Beijing’s decision to scrap quarantine for travellers and reopen its borders is expected to bring three million tourists to Malaysia, which would help boost the economy.
Mita president Uzaidi Udanis told reporters that “China is very important” because it has “big volume” and the Chinese are big spenders. “This will be able to contribute good numbers for Malaysia’s economy,” he said, noting that the industry will comply with any health protocols as “good health means good business”.
Although industry players are expecting a million travellers from China in 2023, the soaring number of Covid-19 cases there and the increased risk of a new variant emerging have left them wary.
The Malaysia Tourism Agency Association (Mata) on Thursday urged the government to temporarily suspend the entry of tourists from China until daily cases there drop. “We are all aware that hospitals across China are facing explosions of Covid-19 cases following Beijing’s decision to withdraw its strict regulations,” Mata president Mohd Khalid Harun said, tempering optimism of a lift for the local tourism industry from China’s rule relaxation.
“The trauma faced by players in the tourism industry due to the Covid-19 outbreak has yet to be resolved; in fact, many travel agencies and hotels have been closed due to the virus, incurring billions of ringgit in losses in the past two years,” he added.
He advised industry players to shift their focus to tourists from the Middle East and Europe, without relying on visitors from China for now.
