PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s reopening of international borders for tourists should be done with caution and with strict controls in place, said public health experts.

       Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia health economics, hospital and health management Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said those not vaccinated or partially vaccinated should not be allowed to enter or they must be quarantined for two weeks and screened twice for confirmation.

       Other measures can include allowing only travellers from countries with high vaccination rates to enter, permitting only those who have been fully vaccinated as well as requiring them to be tested upon arrival.

       “It is very worrisome, as we do not know the types of variants (the partially or unvaccinated) may bring such as Delta, Mu and others,” Dr Sharifa said yesterday.

       On balancing between the economy and the safety of the people, she believes that it is a “trade-off”.

       She pointed out that people’s lives and health are more important.

       “The government must be altruistic towards its people,” she said.

       She said bringing in travellers from high-risk countries is dangerous as studies have shown that even with vaccines, an individual’s immune response drops after 20 weeks till they receive a booster shot.

       Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia president Dr Raj Kumar Maharajah said it is a very delicate situation to balance between the people and the economy.

       “This is a balancing act that we need to master,” he said.

       Dr Raj said currently the government should exercise caution and keep tabs on the situation.

       “We can still monitor the situation and not have a fixed date like Jan 1,” he said.

       Dr Raj also opined that the public should be continuously reminded to follow the SOP.

       “We have to tell people to be serious about the SOP,” he said.

       National Recovery Council (NRC) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had proposed that the country’s borders be reopened to foreign visitors on Jan 1, 2022, at the latest in a bid to expedite the country’s economic recovery, especially the tourism sector that in 2019 brought in around 26 million tourists and over RM86bil in revenue.

       Langkawi, yesterday, became the start of Malaysia’s first international tourism bubble in the country’s hopes of reopening the borders next year.