PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Standard operating procedures for the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) by air with Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand will be uniform, utilising the "test and release" method, Malaysia's Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said on Tuesday (March 15).
He said arriving travellers will no longer need to wait for their Covid-19 test results within the airport terminal.
"Travellers need only conduct Covid-19 swab tests upon arrival and will then be allowed to proceed to their respective accommodations, as declared in MySejahtera Home Surveillance Order (HSO), which is for contact tracing.
"They can travel to the declared accommodations via private transport, taxi or hired vehicles," he said in a statement.
Dr Wee said travellers must self-isolate while waiting for their swab test results, which would be given within 24 hours, adding that they would be cleared from isolation upon a negative result.
In the event of a positive result, travellers are to comply with existing health protocols outlined by the Health Ministry, he added.
"This uniformity of the SOP serves to reduce ambiguity in the VTL by air initiative for travellers entering Malaysia and facilitate enforcement in the air terminals.
"It applies to all VTL arrivals at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Penang International Airport from Wednesday (March 16)."
VTL-Air initiatives involving Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia began on Tuesday as part of joint efforts to reopen international borders.
For Thailand, designated airlines from both countries would be allowed to operate up to six flights daily on the Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok route and up to four flights daily for the Kuala Lumpur-Phuket route.
Designated airlines from Malaysia and Cambodia would be allowed to operate up to two flights daily on the Kuala Lumpur-Phnom Penh route.
Malaysia has air and land VTL arrangements with Singapore, while Malaysia and Brunei have agreed in principle to implement a similar initiative soon.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on March 8 announced that the country would reopen its borders on April 1.
