Border reopening: Public happy with PM's announcement

PETALING JAYA: The public are pleased at the decision to reopen the nation’s borders with many looking to resume travel plans in the near future.

Training Manager Wong Honn Kitt, 33, said the reopening of borders was a ray of light for those like himself who wanted to venture abroad for career growth.

"I myself have been trying to land a job outside of the country for the past few years but the situation from the pandemic made it difficult as I could not be based abroad," he said.

He added that this announcement allowed him to now send out resumes in mass volumes while also resuming plans for travel, adding that he was looking forward to visiting Japan once their borders reopened.

Photo editor Balqis Ahmad, 38, whose job required her to travel back and forth between Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, Australia, was extremely pleased with the announcement.

"Quarantine itself is time consuming and expensive hence people should continue to be self-disciplined and responsible," she said.

She added that she was constantly keeping up with the latest updated travel SOP and vaccination requirements ahead of her trip in mid-April while ensuring that all her documents were in place.

Singapore-based Murnie Sulaiman, 33, was relieved at the reopening of borders, saying how her previous commute via the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) was a tedious process.

"When my husband passed away earlier this year, the process of returning to Malaysia for his funeral was both extremely time and financially consuming.

"With this announcement, at least I can travel back and forth to visit my family in Kota Tinggi with ease," she said.

Lecturer Hanafi Jumrah was in support of the reopening but urged those travelling to Malaysia to do so responsibly either through being fully vaccinated and receiving their booster doses.

"Given that we are now living with the virus, inbound travellers should also strive to abide by SOPs set by the Malaysian government as well," said the 33-year-old based in Penang.

Meanwhile, Nur Hasliza Mohd Salleh, 27, said she had been reading news articles in the international media to stay updated on the travel and vaccination requirements of countries she was headed towards.

"Every country has different requirements. Some have rescinded the previous orders and some have reinforced the orders which have been revoked after some time.

"So we have to check thoroughly," said Hasliza, who booked a year-end diving trip in the Maldives.

She added that she was also intending to travel to the United Kingdom to catch a concert in November this year.