Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says additional steps will be taken to monitor visitors entering Malaysia, especially those from nations with high numbers of Covid-19 infections.
Anwar stressed that his government would not discriminate against foreigners as fears heightened over the influx of China nationals into the country following the relaxation of border rules in the republic.
“The Cabinet has decided, that without a doubt, the health of the rakyat remains a top priority,” said Anwar during a press conference that was delayed for slightly over an hour this afternoon.
“So, what steps will be taken now? The borders will be strictly monitored, and this applies to all visitors, especially those from nations with high infection rates like the United States and China.”
He added that in 2022, there were 336,000 visitors from China – mostly tourists – who entered Malaysia.
“In December alone, there were 53,000 people from China. We did not see an increase in the number of cases here.
“But this doesn’t mean that we have to relax the rules. We must continue to monitor.
“We will not discriminate against any nation,” Anwar added.
China relaxed its Covid-19 controls last month, resulting in a spike in infections in major cities. The travel rush ahead of the Chinese New Year later this month could also see more cases spread to other parts of the nation, and beyond.
Anwar said Malaysia still had plenty of Covid-19 vaccines, but many had to be disposed of as the initial reception to the first and second shots – at the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 – was way better than the booster shots.
He also encouraged journalists to get their booster jabs.
Malaysia recorded more than five million Covid-19 cases since the coronavirus was first detected in the country.
Worldwide, 664,526,116 cases have been recorded, resulting in close to seven million deaths.