JOHOR BARU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - All of the country’s international checkpoints will be open as Malaysia is moving towards reopening its borders, says Tourism and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri.
She said this would include Malaysia's land border with Singapore and added that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob would be making the official announcement on the border reopening soon.
“The Tourism and Culture Ministry is well prepared and always ready to welcome back foreign tourists into Malaysia," said Datuk Seri Nancy.
“All of the country’s borders will be open, including the land borders such as the Causeway,” she said after meeting with tourism industry players at a hotel here on Monday (March 7).
Meanwhile Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud said all auto gates at international entry points have been reactivated in preparation for the reopening of borders.
Immigration officers at international entry points who were previously sent to temporary depots during the Covid-19 pandemic period had been recalled, he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
The auto gates were reactivated on Saturday.
Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee said the Immigration Department was ready for the reopening of the country's borders, especially to receive foreign tourists.
Among the main international entry points for this, he added, were the KL International Airport (KLIA) and the Sultan Iskandar Building in Johor.
"On March 5, all auto gates were reactivated and officers at international entry points who were previously sent to temporary depots during the pandemic period were recalled," he said on Saturday night.
The department, said Mr Khairul Dzaimee, expected an increase in the entry of foreign tourists, adding that control would be tightened to ensure there was no abuse of the social visit passes or overstaying.
"They (tourists) must submit proof that they have a place to stay in Malaysia, sufficient amount of money and a travel itinerary," he said.
On Saturday (March 5), Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri confirmed that the country's borders will be reopened soon.
He said this would enable people who have not met each other for some time to be together during Hari Raya Aidilfitri in May.
Mr Ismail Sabri added that to enable travel to and from Malaysia with Brunei and Thailand, the government was in the process of implementing the land vaccinated travel lane (VTL) with these two countries.
He said this would add to the existing VTL facility with Singapore and the one still under planning with Indonesia.
"To rejuvenate economic activities and tourism, especially in Johor, the federal government implemented the air and land VTL with Singapore on Jan 21 this year to facilitate the reunion of families separated by the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.
"I was told that 200,000 Malaysians commute between Singapore and Johor. They no longer have to undergo compulsory quarantine at home after taking two health screening tests, once when leaving Singapore and again on arrival in Malaysia,” he added.
