KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Authorities have prohibited people in Sabah from travelling to peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, and Labuan from October 12 to 25, as Sabah struggles with multiple Covid-19 outbreaks.
Senior Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said special travel exemptions would be given to certain cases, including emergencies, deaths, and essential services, among others, that require prior approval from the Ministry of Health (MOH).
“Those who get approval will need to take Covid-19 tests by MOH upon arrival at the entry gates of their respective destinations,” Ismail Sabri said in a statement today.
Permission for travel to Sabah is granted for the following categories:
- Sabahans with the H code MyKad.
- Partners of Sabahans with valid immigration passes issued by the Immigration Department of Sabah, proof of marriage, or child’s birth certificate.
- Workers in essential services with valid immigration passes issued by the Immigration Department of Sabah.
- Non-Sabahan students with student cards or passes from the Immigration Department of Sabah.
- Members of the federal public service working in Sabah must get a chop under Section 66(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 at the Sabah Immigration office after entering Sabah.
- Sabah permanent residents with the H code MyPR, entry permit card, or endorsement of entry permit in the passport.
The travellers listed above who wish to visit Sabah must make an application to the Chief Minister’s Office through the state domestic affairs and research office for consideration. They will also be subject to Covid-19 tests by MOH upon arrival in Sabah.
Any questions can be directed to the Sabah state disaster operations room at 088-369434.
Sabah is currently battling a surge of coronavirus infections and multiple clusters, with 1,384 local cases reported since the past fortnight. As of yesterday, Sabah is the state with the second-highest total number of Covid-19 cases reported at 2,519 cases, behind Kuala Lumpur’s 2,701 cases, since the coronavirus outbreak hit Malaysia last January.
MOH reported a record high of 432 new Covid-19 cases nationwide yesterday, following consecutive daily tallies above 250 cases since October 1.
Amendment note at 5:20pm: The Defence Ministry clarified that the ban on travel out of Sabah would come into effect from October 12-25, not October 7-20, as earlier announced. CodeBlue has amended this report accordingly.
