(Jan 10): Malaysia’s Immigration Department will provide special lanes for travellers from China at international entry points, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said amid concerns over a rapid outbreak of Covid-19 in the country.

Travellers from China who are symptomatic will be referred to health officials, and will undergo throat swabs as well as RTK-antigen Covid-19 tests, said MOH officials in a media briefing in Putrajaya on Tuesday (Jan 10).

The country has also stepped up screening measures for all travellers broadly. Visitors entering Malaysia will be screened through a thermal scanner and those who are found to be ill or symptomatic, or had made self-declarations or self-referrals, will undergo further examination.

“Right now, we’re worried not just about the cases from China, but other countries that are experiencing a rise in cases, such as the US, Japan, and others,” said Health director general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. “We are monitoring the situation closely.”

The number of new reported Covid-19 cases in Malaysia has been on the decline, while patients requiring hospitalisation dropped 2% last week.

The new measure comes amid growing public pressure within Malaysia to tighten entry requirements for visitors arriving from China. Last month, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the country will test wastewater samples from all flights from China for Covid-19.

Pre-pandemic, China was the third-largest country in terms of tourist arrivals in Malaysia. About 3.1 million Chinese tourists visited Malaysia in 2019, from the overall 26.1 million arrivals, according to data from Tourism Malaysia.