December 28, (THEWILL) – Malaysia has lifted the travel ban on the eight southern African countries that first reported the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who disclosed the development on Tuesday, said given the rapid spread of the variant globally, there is no reason to continue with a travel ban against those in Africa.
The eight countries, which include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, will remain on a list of nations deemed as high-risk, with travellers from these states subject to additional restrictions upon arrival, he said.
According to the minister, authorities have detected 306 suspected Omicron cases out of 366 samples from visitors who had tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival between December 21 and 25.
“We are still waiting for results from the whole genome sequencing to confirm,” he said, adding that Malaysia has reported only one confirmed case of local transmission so far.
Malaysia has cancelled mass gatherings at Christmas and over the New Year, and imposed requirements for COVID-19 vaccine boosters among high-risk groups, since recording its first case of the Omicron variant earlier this month.
On Tuesday, Khairy said authorities will now allow the interval between primary and booster doses for all vaccines to be reduced to three months, joining a growing number of countries that have cut waiting times in a bid to ward off a new surge of infections.
Previously, the Malaysian government added nine countries to the list of those at high risk of spreading the COVID-19 pandemic. The nations consists of the UK, the US, Australia, France, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Nigeria and India.
