KUALA LUMPUR: Johor and Terengganu will transition from Phase Three of the National Recovery Plan to Phase Four starting Monday.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the transitions of both states were agreed upon after taking into account risk assessments carried out by the Health Ministry, National Security Council (NSC), and the Covid-19 Pandemic Management Special Committee.
"The standard operating procedures (SOP) for states entering Phase Four are the same as before.
"The latest SOP information will be updated by the NSC on their official website, www.mkn.gov.my," he said in a statement today.
Meanwhile, the committee also agreed with the SOP presented by the Human Resources Ministry for the entry of foreign workers into Malaysia to meet the needs of the plantation sector.
Ismail Sabri said the SOP would be enforced in all designated sectors and approved on a case-by-case basis by the Foreign Workers Committee co-chaired by the Home Ministry and the Human Resources Ministry.
"The committee after their meeting today also approved the SOP on the entry of foreign workers into the country.
"The quotas and dates for the entry of foreign workers for other employment sectors are subject to the decision of the joint meeting between the Home Ministry and the Human Resources Ministry," he said.
The pre-departure SOP for foreign workers' entering the country include being fully-vaccinated from the source country with vaccines certified by the World Health Organisation; perform RT-PCR testing 72 hours prior to leaving the country of origin; submit their vaccination certificate; and comply with Immigration conditions and policies as well as other criteria set by the government.
Upon arrival, they must enter only through one entrance, namely Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) 1 and klia2 only, except for foreign workers from Thailand (crews of local fishing vessels) arriving via land routes such as Bukit Kayu Hitam, Wang Kelian, Betong, and Rantau Panjang.
The foreign workers must be quarantined for seven days, coordinating with the Health Ministry, at government-certified quarantine centres around the Klang Valley. The only exception is Thai foreign workers working as local fishing vessel crews, who would be quarantined at quarantine centres adjacent to their port of entry, he said.
Ismail Sabri added that they would undergo RT-PCR tests on the second and fifth day of quarantine, and if found positive, Category One or Two cases should be isolated in private Covid-19 Quarantine and Low-Risk Treatment Centres, while Category Three, Four and Five cases must be referred to private hospitals.
He said once quarantine ends and they are confirmed negative, foreign workers would be taken to the employer's premises via transportation provided by the employer, and undergo foreign workers' health exam.
"The government urges that these relaxations will be utilised by the people with full discipline and a sense of responsibility.
"The success of bringing the country out of this pandemic depends not only on the efforts and strategies of the government alone.
"It is highly dependent on the level of compliance of the community to the SOP that has been set. Therefore, put on a face mask, practice physical distancing and always maintain personal hygiene and safety," he added.
