Border reopening: Proceed with caution, say experts

 

The authorities should consider imposing tighter restrictions on people coming from certain countries as a precaution, says Kumitaa Theva Das. (Bernama pic)

GEORGE TOWN: Allowing international travellers to enter without quarantine is great but it must be done with caution, especially for those coming from high-risk countries, a virologist said today.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Kumitaa Theva Das warned that travellers from high-risk countries with low vaccination rates could spark new, virulent Covid-19 variants locally.

“A more infectious variant could lead to more hospitalisations and deaths. So, we will have to be vigilant in our genomic sequencing to know what variant is in our midst,” she told FMT.

Kumitaa also called for the authorities to consider looking at arrivals on a case-to-case basis, with tighter restrictions imposed on people coming from certain countries.

Kumitaa Theva Das.

She said the authorities should look at the example of Hong Kong.

“Though most people in Hong Kong are fully vaccinated, the number of people getting the booster shot has been low,” she said, adding this had resulted in a major surge in the number of infections there.

“Contingency plans for outbreaks should also be readied in anticipation of infections caused by travellers. We have to proceed with caution.”

On the government’s announcement that the country will transition to the endemic phase from next month, Kumitaa clarified that Covid-19 cannot be “declared” endemic until the World Health Organization (WHO) says so.

“Transitioning to the endemic phase does not mean that Covid-19 is endemic. The public should understand this is only a transition to the endemic phase.

Dr Jemilah Mahmood.

“So, we cannot let our guard down just yet,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dr Jemilah Mahmood said Covid-19 has mainly spread through the community and not so much from travellers.

In welcoming the reopening of borders, she said getting locals vaccinated and boosted, especially children, remained critical.

“We need our people and global citizens to be aware that individual behaviours matter,” the former adviser to the prime minister on public health told FMT.

Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib said opening the borders was inevitable and showed the country’s confidence in vaccination coverage.

“The full reopening of Malaysia’s borders was going to happen sooner rather than later,” he told FMT.

Earlier, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the country’s borders would reopen from April 1, and that fully vaccinated travellers would no longer need to undergo quarantine.

Anyone entering the country must undergo a PCR test two days before departure and an RTK-Ag test within 24 hours upon arrival.

The MyTravelPass is to be abolished, but travellers would still need to download the MySejahtera app and use it to fill up pre-departure details prior to arrival. - FMT