Malaysia to reopen for tourists after two-year Covid closure
Malaysia's economy contracted 5.6 per cent in 2020 as Covid hit but rebounded slightly to grow 3.1 per cent last year. Malaysia-based AirAsia, one of Southeast Asia's top budget airlines, called the move "timely" and said it "will provide a strong impetus" for recovery in tourism and aviation.
Group Chief Executive Bo Lingam told AFP the carrier hoped to move around a million passengers in the first week. Vaccinated travellers will not be subject to quarantine but will need to produce a negative PCR test two days before arrival and take an antigen test in the 24 hours after entry. Previously only travellers from Singapore were allowed quarantine-free entry. Malaysia has recorded more than 3.6 million Covid cases to date with more than 33,000 deaths. About 80 per cent of the country's 32 million population have been fully vaccinated.
