GEORGE TOWN: Many Malaysians are applying for new passports and renewals with the country’s borders to open from April 1.

       Senior lecturer Dr Atasya Osmadi, 41, and her family applied for their passports to perform the umrah by year-end.

       “Since it is the school holidays, my husband and I decided to bring my 10- year-old and nine-month-old sons here to get their passports done.

       “It will be the first time for my children to travel overseas. As for my husband and I, our passports expired in 2020,” she said at the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) in Komtar yesterday.

       Sales manager N. Thilagavathi, 38, said she brought her six-year-old son D. Sabarigreshanraj to get his passport renewed as they intended to go to Sri Lanka for a wedding at the end of the month.

       She said the adults in her family had all received their booster shots.

       “My son has received his first dose and he should be fully vaccinated before the trip,” she said.

       Retiree Chan Cheong Foo, 62, said he could not wait to visit his daughter and two grandchildren.

       “I have not seen my daughter and grandchildren who are in Singapore for more than two years,” he added.

       A retail manager who wished to be known as Yin, 40, said she just came back to Penang from Singapore through the Vaccinated Travel Lane.

       “It has been two years since I’ve been home. My passport will expire in August, so I decided to renew it in Malaysia,” she added.

       Marketing manager Zuhaila Anuar, 28, from Kuala Lumpur said she would renew her passport in May in time for Hari Raya.

       “I will probably do it online but the system is known to be unstable, so let’s see,” she said.

       Executive April Wong, 26 from Kuala Lumpur, will renew her passport to attend her cousin’s wedding overseas.

       “It’s not for leisure. I don’t think the world is ready for fun times when the Omicron variant spreads so fast. Who knows what the next variant will hold?” she said.