Malaysia to screen inbound travelers, including from China, for fever

Travelers disembark from an airplane from Jakarta, Indonesia at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), as the country reopens its borders fully to allow entry without quarantine for visitors vaccinated against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia, April 1, 2022. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia on Friday said it will screen all inbound travelers 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.

Zaliha said Malaysia will screen body temperatures of all inbound travelers, 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-19 and will conduct tests to detect the entry of any new variants, she added.

RELATED STORIES

Global alarm grows over China’s COVID-19 surge

Asia’s tourist hotspots prepare for boom as China relaxes COVID rules