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PUTRAJAYA (THE STAR / ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Malaysia announced on Thursday (September 10) that it will allow entry to expatriates and professional visit pass holders from 23 countries, reversing a move on Monday (September 7) that was criticized by employers.
To curb the spread of Covid-19, Malaysia had announced that entry would be blocked for people from countries with more than 150,000 cases.
The forced entry ban includes those from the United States, Great Britain, India and Indonesia.
All foreign tourists have been banned from March.
But Chief Minister (Security Group) Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Thursday that a special cabinet committee decided to slightly relax the regulation that was enforced as of Monday.
But these expats and professional visiting pass holders must first “get approval from the (Malaysia) Immigration Department before they can enter the country,” he said.
“Your application must be accompanied by a letter of endorsement from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority or related agencies,” he said.
Employers had complained that the government should continue to allow expatriates and professional pass holders to enter, as their technical skills are necessary to help the economy.
In another revocation of the ban that began Monday, Datuk Seri Ismail said the government has also decided to allow permanent residents, as well as foreign spouses of Malaysian citizens, to enter Malaysia from these 23 countries with high infection rates.
But this group can only make a one-way trip to Malaysia and stay in the country.
Student pass holders from affected countries will also be able to enter Malaysia.
“All the aforementioned categories must get immigration approval beforehand,” he said.
The 23 countries are United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Peru, Colombia, South Africa, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Iran, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, France, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Iraq, Philippines and Indonesia.
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