KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will give greater leeway for travel, dining out and engagement in outdoor sports to those who have completed Covid-19 vaccination in places that have moved out of the most serious phase of a nationwide lockdown.

Malaysian residents returning to the country will also be allowed to undergo quarantine at home.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced on Sunday (Aug 8) that local tourism within states or federal territories, non-contact outdoor sports and exercise, as well as dining at restaurants will be allowed from Tuesday in places that have progressed to at least phase two of the National Recovery Plan.

Currently, these are Perlis, Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan which are in phase three, as well as Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Penang and Sabah which are in phase two.

“I understand many are faced with pandemic fatigue. Taking into account feedback from the Health Ministry, the government is prepared to allow conveniences to those who have completed their vaccination,” Tan Sri Muhyiddin said.

People will be able to enjoy the easing of restrictions 14 days after their second vaccine dose, or 28 days in the case of single-dose vaccines.

The vaccines mentioned by the Premier are those manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson and CanSino, which have been approved by Malaysia. It was not immediately clear if other vaccines would be accepted.

Exceptions will be made nationwide for fully vaccinated spouses or parents and their children younger than 18 to meet after months of being divided by district or state lines.

The Prime Minister cautioned that dining in was riskier than other social activities as it involved removing face masks.

“I would like to advise the public to dine in only when necessary and not spend too long. Pick a location which has good ventilation,” he said, adding that restaurateurs should prepare more open-air seats to reduce the risk of infection. 

Fully vaccinated parents are allowed to take their children to eateries. 

People who have completed their jabs will also be allowed to return to places of worship, subject to strict guidelines. 

Mr Muhyiddin warned that the “government will not hesitate to revoke these conveniences if there are breaches of guidelines”.

He also said relaxations for the economic sector are still being discussed and will be announced soon.

Over eight million people in Malaysia, or about 36 per cent of its adult population, have been fully inoculated against the coronavirus, with the government projecting 50 per cent coverage by the end of August.

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At that point, the barometer for phases will shift from average daily cases and intensive care utilisation in hospitals to symptomatic hospital admissions, given that the vaccines have been proven to greatly reduce the risk of critical cases.

About half of the country’s daily infections – which breached 20,000 twice in the past week – come from the Klang Valley, which comprises Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

Another 18,688 new patients were recorded on Sunday, bringing the country’s total since the pandemic began to 1,262,540.

Some 10,389 people have succumbed to the disease so far.

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