What you should know about Covid-19 SOP relaxations from May 1, 2022, as revealed by Malaysian health minister Khairy Jamaluddin
From May 1 onwards, Malaysians will only be required to wear face masks indoors, including at offices, shopping malls and classrooms and in public transportation like buses, trains and e-hailing vehicles. Wearing a mask will be optional in outdoor areas like parks, fields, open-air walkways and bridges and bus stops from May 1, 2022. Social distancing is no longer mandatory, except when masks aren't worn.
In a press conference on April 27, 2022, Malaysia’s health minister Khairy Jamaluddin advised the public to continually exercise caution even outdoors, adding that high risk individuals should still wear masks when outdoors and that members of the public should wear a face mask in crowded outdoor areas to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmissions.
COVID-19 SOP relaxations from 1 May 2022 pic.twitter.com/LO1ibNrVTu
— KKMalaysia🇲🇾😷 (@KKMPutrajaya) April 27, 2022
It will no longer be mandatory for visitors to scan the MySejahtera QR codes at public premises from May 1 onwards, though premise owners are still required to check visitors’ health status on MySejahtera.
Visitors will also be allowed to enter public premises regardless of their vaccination status. Entry to premises will only be disallowed for individuals with a ‘High Risk’ status on MySejahtera and Covid-19 patients who are under a home surveillance order (HSO) by the Ministry of Health.
Protocols for Covid-positive patients
Under the Health Ministry’s Test and Release SOP, individuals who test positive for Covid-19 have the option to undergo a supervised RTK-AG test on the fourth day after testing positive. This RTK-Ag test must be supervised by a medical practitioner either physically or virtually. Individuals with negative results from this supervised test may be released from quarantine.
Previously, individuals who tested positive for Covid-19 were by default required to quarantine for seven days.
Travel SOPs
From May 1, travellers are no longer required to get Covid-19 insurance to enter Malaysia. Fully vaccinated travellers and children aged 12 and below are also exempted from pre-departure and on-arrival tests in Malaysia.
Only unvaccinated travellers or those who are partially vaccinated are required to take an RT-PCR test two days before their departure to Malaysia, followed by a supervised RTK-AG test within 24 hours of arrival here. Following this, they will be required to quarantine for five days and undergo an RT-PCR test on the fourth day (or a supervised RTK-AG test on the fifth day).
All travellers still need to present their Traveller’s Card within the MySejahtera app upon arrival in Malaysia.
For more details on SOPs released by the Malaysian Health Ministry, click here.