With the borders for international travellers opening from April 1, the Malaysian government is making preparations on protocols that will require guests to download the MySejahtera app and fill up quite a number of forms.
All entry gateway will be equipped with processing systems and additional manpower to handle load which could see teething issues and long queues as the requirement does look cumbersome. Among the announced regulation include the mandatory download of the MySejahtera application (not sure what is the option for those who don’t have a smartphone), uploading real-time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test results before departure and filling in pre-release forms.
Health Minister had remarked that there will be many pre-release forms to be filled, and once approved will only then receive a traveller card in the MySejahtera application.
Upon arrival, they will need to undergo another Rapid Test Kit-Antigen (RTK-Ag) within 24 hours either in the airport or clinic at their own expense. The government has also installed COVID-19 breath test systems which are available at KLIA for those who wished to complete test screening at the airport.
The minister has said the protocol lessens the time between disembarkation to departure from the airport to between 35 and 45 minutes, compared to before which took more than an hour, adding that Malaysia does not include bureaucracy such as wearing a digital tracker.
Although there are some protocols which are seemed to consider safety as the main condition, the overload of documentation and app download with personal information could infringe on privacy or be deemed as data harvesting.
