‘We gained’t discriminate in opposition to any nation’: PM Anwar on Malaysia’s tighter Covid-19 screening

PUTRAJAYA – Malaysia will tighten screening guidelines for all overseas arrivals, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated, amid considerations concerning the rampant Covid-19 outbreak in China.   

“We’re going to tighten screening, however we gained’t discriminate in opposition to any nation,” he stated at a post-Cupboard briefing on Wednesday.

The federal government will prioritise folks’s well being over the financial system, he stated. 

“Cupboard has unequivocally determined that well being is the principle precedence, and that questions surrounding tourism and the financial system can not override these pursuits,” he added.

He stated that immigration checkpoints into the nation will probably be tightened to display arrivals from locations with a excessive fee of infections.

Malaysia joins a number of nations in tightening measures for travellers amid fears that the return of vacationers from China may spark a Covid-19 resurgence in their very own populations.

Final week, Malaysia’s Well being Minister Zaliha Mustafa stated that the nation will check wastewater samples from all flights arriving from China for Covid-19. 

She stated these displaying indicators of an infection will probably be quarantined for additional exams.

Pre-pandemic, China was the third-largest nation when it comes to vacationer arrivals in Malaysia.

About 3.1 million Chinese language vacationers visited Malaysia in 2019, out of the general 26.1 million arrivals, in accordance with information from Tourism Malaysia.

Commenting on the extremely low take-up by Malaysians of Covid-19 booster shots, Mr Anwar stated about six million doses of boosters are nonetheless obtainable, and urged folks to get vaccinated as a type of safety.

He steered that media personnel ought to lead by instance and get their booster photographs.

Dr Zaliha on Monday stated solely 49.8 per cent of Malaysians have obtained their first booster dose, whereas only one.9 per cent have obtained their second booster. BLOOMBERG, THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK