Malaysia In Discussion To Establish Travel Bubble With Japan, Singapore, South Korea, And 3 Other Countries

Eunis Ong

Last updated 29 Jun 2020

"We're In The Recovery Stage"

As Malaysia steps into the Recovery MCO stage after months of strict movement control, Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced in his press conference this week that Malaysia's recovery rate (as of 18 June) is at an impressive 93.8%, with a total of 8,000 COVID-19 patient recoveries so far (out of a total 8,529 infections recorded since January).

The Travel Bubble Concept

Dr Noor Hisham also mentioned that Malaysia will consider introducing the "travel bubble" (also known as "green bubble" and "green lane") concept where travel restrictions between selected countries are eased, should the situation in the said countries remain under control, and local COVID-19 cases are low. Several countries across Europe and Asia are already discussing the implementation of this concept for their cross-border travel.

For the concept to work, a stringent post-pandemic standard operating procedure (SOP) has to be observed carefully. "If we can control the virus infection, then we will consider opening the country's borders to allow travel between countries with fewer cases," Dr Noor Hisham mentioned.

Ongoing Discussions With 6 "Green" Countries

According to Dr Noor Hisham, Malaysia is in early stages of discussion with 6 "green" countries to ease border-travel restrictions should the number of infections remain under control. “Both sides need to agree on the conditions. If we can do that, we can allow the business, education and tourism sectors to be opened up,” The 6 potential "travel bubble" countries mentioned are:

Singapore
Brunei
Australia
New Zealand
Japan
South Korea

Earlier this week, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Economic Affairs) also mentioned that the government has received a proposal for the implementation of a "travel bubble" with neighbouring countries, and discussions are still ongoing as there are many things to be considered.

Be Patient And Stay Safe

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global battle that will take time to be won, and life will only get back to normal in phases, not overnight. While our international borders remain closed during this RMCO period, Malaysians are blessed enough to be able to travel domestically and plan a #cuticutiMalaysia adventure if you're craving for a vacation. Let us all be patient, stay safe, and continue to work towards winning the battle!