MOH: COVID-19 tests are no longer mandatory for travel to Langkawi, fully vaccinated status is still required

Following the lifting of interstate travel restrictions starting yesterday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced that it is no longer a mandatory requirement for travellers to undergo COVID-19 screening before going to Langkawi. This new ruling will take effect immediately starting today, 12th October 2021.

When Langkawi reopened its borders for the domestic travel bubble on 16th September, the government had decided to impose mandatory COVID-19 screening before passengers are allowed to board their flights and ferry. Until 10th October 2021, a total of 54,341 tourists were screened and only 216 (0.4%) were found positive.

According to MOH, there was only one tourist who had experienced symptoms and was tested positive with an RT-PCR test. It added that the source of infection was not from the duty-free island and there were no COVID-19 clusters from the Langkawi Travel Bubble.

Based on the percentage of positive cases among travellers heading to Langkawi, MOH has decided to end mandatory COVID-19 testing starting today. However, it is still recommended for all interstate travellers to conduct a COVID-19 self-test to reduce the risk of infection to other people.

MOH has also stressed that full vaccination is still required before travelling interstate. It also added that individuals who are tested positive or flagged as close contact to a positive case must undergo mandatory quarantine and are not allowed to travel. Individuals who are experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough and flu are advised to defer their travel plans.

As announced by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, all public transport operators including land, air and maritime must ensure all passengers are fully vaccinated. On top of that, operators must also ensure SOP compliance such as wearing a face mask and frequent hand washing or using a hand sanitiser. He warned companies and operators that fail to check on passenger vaccination certificates can be charged.

Before the lifting of interstate travel restrictions, AirAsia announced that it will only allow fully vaccinated passengers on their flights. However, children below 18 years old who are not vaccinated are allowed to fly if they are accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent or guardian.

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