PUTRAJAYA: The tightening of the nation’s border security to protect its people from Covid-19 will not discriminate against any particular country, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Preventive measures will be enhanced at entry point. Every inbound traveller will be monitored, particularly those coming from countries with high infection rates, including China and the United States.
“We are not loosening conditions,” he told a press conference after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting here yesterday.
Anwar also stressed that concerns over the performance of the economy, and especially the tourism sector, will not override the safety of the rakyat amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Cabinet has unequivocally decided that the health of the rakyat is the main priority.
“The questions over tourism and the economy cannot override the interest of protecting and treating the rakyat against any pandemic or infection including Covid-19,” he added.
He said this was to allay recent doubts on whether preventive actions against Covid-19 would take a backseat to the economy, in particular the tourism sector.
“We have a made a firm decision and will not compromise on this,” he added.
He said 336,000 Chinese entered the country last year, a majority of whom were tourists.
“In December alone, some 53,000 Chinese nationals arrived in Malaysia, and that did not cause a spike in Covid-19 cases,” he added.
The decision by the Cabinet comes as China is experiencing a massive wave of Covid-19 infections which has yet to peak.
An influx of over a million Chinese tourists are expected to visit Malaysia after the republic lifts its travel ban on Jan 8.
This comes after China announced it will do away with its “Zero-Covid” policy and lift quarantine requirements for international arrivals.
It also announced that it will lift a ban on outbound travel for Chinese citizens, which has been in place since March 2020.
Several countries such as Japan, India, the United States, Italy and Taiwan have since imposed mandatory Covid-19 testing for travellers arriving from China.
Morocco imposed an outright ban on the entry of visitors from China pending further notice.
Last week, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that all travellers arriving from abroad, particularly from China, would be screened following concerns of a possible spike in local infections.
She said those showing signs of infections would be quarantined for further tests.
Meanwhile, on the low booster take-up rate, Anwar urged the rakyat to get their booster shots as there are still some six million doses of vaccine available.
On Monday, Dr Zaliha lamented that only 49.8% of Malaysians had received their first booster dose, and only 1.9% got their second booster shot.