The government is currently considering whether to retain or discontinue the face mask mandate as part of the COVID-19’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). This was revealed by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri in a remark to media members earlier today.
According to the report by Bernama and Malaysia Gazette, Ismail has also mentioned MySejahtera check-in and COVID-19 tests for travellers as the two other SOPs that are currently under consideration by the government. All three implementations are currently going through assessment by the Ministry of Health according to the Prime Minister.
Both face mask and MySejahtera check-ins were implemented as the core SOPs in Malaysia not long after the pandemic begun to hit the country. They were retained for the on-going Endemic Transition Phase but the authorities did remove the original on-arrival PCR requirement for travellers and have opted for professionally administered RTK tests that can be performed within 24 hours after arrival in Malaysia.
Ismail did not mention when exactly the government is going to announce its decision on the three SOPs although Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin recently have hinted that there might be an announcement regarding this matter next week. So, stay tuned.
