Latest US travel advisory seen as external measure

US embassy

PETALING JAYA: Countries have their own way in managing the Covid-19 pandemic and the latest US travel advisory on Malaysia could be part of that, says the Deputy Foreign Minister.

Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar said in Malaysia, only those with approval were allowed to travel abroad.

“If these new restrictions from the US are due to new Covid-19 situations, it means individual countries are taking their own measures. Even Malaysia has its own measures, ” he said when contacted yesterday.

He was commenting on the latest travel advisory from the US State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which downgraded Malaysia to Level 4 of the Travel Health Notice, which means “do not travel”.

Malaysia was earlier on Level 3 which means “reconsider travel”. Level 1 is “exercise normal precautions”, and Level 2 “exercise increased cautions”.

An announcement on the State Department website on Monday stated that the US government would be increasing significantly the number of countries at Level 4 to cover about 80% of countries worldwide.

“As travellers face ongoing risks due to Covid-19, the State Department will begin updating its travel advisories this week to better reflect the CDC’s science-based Travel Health Notices that outline current issues affecting travellers’ health.

“Our advisories also take into account logistical factors, including in-country testing availability and travel restrictions for US citizens.

“This does not imply a reassessment of the current health situation in a given country, but rather reflects an adjustment in the State Department’s Travel Advisory system to rely more on CDC’s existing epidemiological assessments, ” the announcement stated.

Malaysia has restricted entry to all foreign nationals due to the pandemic.

According to the US Embassy here, US citizens must have formal approval from the Malaysian government before attempting to enter Malaysia.