PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association has urged the government not to rush into a decision on easing travel restrictions on business travellers from countries with lower Covid-19 infection rates.
MMA president Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said the proposal was worth exploring.
Business travellers must still be required to undergo a RT-PCR test before leaving to Malaysia.
The government should also consider a shorter quarantine period for business travellers, he said.
Last night, the health ministry announced that the mandatory quarantine period for travellers arriving in Malaysia had been cut from 14 days to 10.
“The decision to allow travellers into the country should only be made after the Health Ministry has studied all available data on cases of Covid-19 in those countries,” he added.
He also said that it would be better to wait until the country manages to flatten the curve before re-opening the borders to international travellers.
Former prime minister Najib Razak had urged the government on Saturday to allow the entry of business travellers from countries with low domestic Covid-19 transmissions, such as Singapore, China, Taiwan, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Thailand.
He added that encouraging the travel of foreign businessmen was important to encourage foreign investment that would impact economic development and the number of new jobs in Malaysia in the years to come.
Giving an example of neighbouring Singapore, he said their government has already provided quarantine exemptions for visitors from countries such as Taiwan, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, China and Vietnam to encourage business travel.