AFTER two years, the Covid-19 situation is still unpredictable. Variant after variant has emerged, keeping the world on edge.
Borders were shut down. Almost all travel came to a halt to contain the spread. Slowly but surely, however, governments have started opening up their borders to foreigners, a welcome move – but one that is being greeted cautiously.
Australia will allow international travellers who have been vaccinated at least twice to enter the country once again from Feb 21, ending around two years of some of the world’s toughest border controls.
Indonesia is doing the same but with stricter restrictions including a five-day quarantine on arrival for foreigners. Over in China, the borders are very restricted with only some business travel allowed, no tourism, and 21-day quarantine upon entry.
The surge of Omicron variant cases has further dampened the mood for international travel.
National Recovery Council (NRC)chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s announcement that the council recommends Malaysian borders be opened from March 1 was greeted with mixed reactions as Covid-19 cases hit five figures daily this week.
Are we really ready to welcome foreigners, and without any mandatory quarantine to boot?
The NRC can only recommend. The final decision remains with the Cabinet.
With Malaysia having one of the world’s highest vaccination rates and fewer numbers of Covid-19-related hospitalisation cases, the NRC suggested opening borders to support the country’s economic recovery. However, it stressed that Covid-19 tests must be done before departure and upon arrival in Malaysia.
We understand the NRC’s March 1 proposal caught the Covid-19 Quartet Ministers Meeting by surprise when they met on the same day. Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein who chairs the quartet meeting was asked about the proposal and said the Immigration Department, Health Ministry and Tourism Arts and Culture Ministry will study it.
“Once they have discussed the matter at length, they will bring it back to the quartet,” he added.
If the NRC proposal is accepted, Malaysia has less than three weeks to prepare to open our borders.
“We must have safety measures to manage uncertainties. If you open and no mandatory quarantine is required, and let’s say the next day there is a new wave of cases, it will be too late,” a government official pointed out.
“That is why we have the vaccinated travel lane (VTL). It’s a heads up system. That is the safest and the way forward for us to control the pandemic in our country.
“To be honest such an announcement is a mixed signal from the government, especially to those on the ground. The spike in Covid-19 cases is for real although perhaps the Omicron variant severity is not as bad as Delta’s.”
The announcement also begs the question about which is the higher authority in calling the shots on the country’s recovery efforts.
The NRC does not decide in terms of policies but it is there to support the Cabinet in making necessary recommendations to bring the country back on track. A senior civil servant explained that it can evaluate recommendations from relevant agencies or departments before taking them to be scrutinised by the Health Ministry and brought before the Cabinet or Covid-19 Special Committee chaired by the Prime Minister for a final decision.
Covid-19 pandemic has certainly affected many sectors and one of the worst hit is tourism, an important economic sector for Malaysia.
However, a tourism industry player remained cautious about the borders opening so soon. Australia, he said, was the most cautious and took its time before allowing foreigners to enter.
“I don’t know, perhaps that mood could be dampened because of a surge in Omicron variant cases. I know our government has been careful in its statement on the spike in cases. The idea is not to create panic.”
Covid-19, he said, has been disastrous for the tourism industry.
“We are now dealing with unknown variables. Somebody has got to say it: Sorry tourism industry, looks like you have got to brave another wave of a Covid-19 variant. This is affecting tourist numbers and tourism dollars,” he said.
In December 2020, the government launched its 10-year tourism plan but it remains a plan as the pandemic and closed borders continue to cripple the industry.
Still, any decision to open the borders must be carefully considered by this government.
In fact, this is not the first time the NRC proposed opening the borders. Last November, given Malaysia’s high vaccination rate, a proposal was made to open the borders to foreign visitors by Jan 1, 2022, to accelerate the recovery of the tourism sector.
Recall the government’s decision to postpone the move to transition from a pandemic to an endemic phase in January due to various reasons, including the December floods and rising number of Omicron variant cases among returning umrah pilgrims.
Any policies implemented by this government must and should be able to respond to the changing situation. The government’s narrative must keep pace with the unpredictability of Covid-19.
And eventually, personal protection is the best remedy.
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