KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Friday said it will screen all inbound travellers for fever and test wastewater from aircraft arriving from China for Covid-19 as part of fresh measures to prevent an outbreak following Beijing’s decision to lift strict zero-Covid policies.
The Health Ministry is taking preventative measures as the country faces a risk of an influx of coronavirus cases from abroad, Minister Zaliha Mustafa said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear when the new measures would take effect.
Malaysia joins countries like United States, India, Italy and Japan in taking new measures as a wave of infections erupted across China after Beijing’s abrupt decision to dismantle Covid restrictions.
Thailand, the top destination in Southeast Asia for Chinese travellers, does not plan any special measures for arrivals from its largest tourist source market, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Thursday.
Ms Zaliha said Malaysia would screen body temperatures of all inbound travellers, including those from China, and those detected with fever or other symptoms will be tested for Covid-19.
The ministry will also sample wastewater from aircraft arriving from China for Covid and will conduct tests to detect the entry of any new variants, she added.