Wearing face masks outdoors optional from May 1, says KJ

SHAH ALAM - The Cabinet has agreed that wearing facemasks outdoors is optional, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, today.

However, he said face mask wearing is still mandatory to be worn indoors including at shopping malls, and while taking public transport.

"We are longer required to wear face masks outdoors. It is optional but encouraged," he said during a press conference.

He said those indoors will not be required to wear a face mask while exercising, doing performances and having a meal.

He said the move was made after the Health Ministry reviewed the Covid-19 control and prevention measures that could be implemented during the transition phase to endemic.

According to him, enforcement under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) and the regulations under the Act will be imposed on individuals who failed to comply with the directive.

"Wearing of face masks especially in buildings and public transportation is still important to protect yourself as well as the people around you, especially the high-risk groups such as the elderly, children and immunocompromised individuals," he said.

He said scanning the MySejahtera App will no longer be required to enter premises and public areas from May 1.

However, he encouraged people to activate the MySJ Trace function for contact tracing.

"Individuals with high-risk status on their MySejahtera and positive for Covid-19 will be given Home Surveillance Order (HSO) instructions and are not allowed to enter premises," he said.

He said the management of the premises shall check the risk status of those entering the building.

In line with the transition to the endemic phase, he said the MySejahtera application will be improved with the introduction of new features.

"For a start, the MySejahtera’s Hotspot Tracker feature previously used to detect hotspots for Covid-19 cases, is now used as an Infectious Disease Tracker to detect hotspots for other diseases such as rabies, measles, hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD), and dengue," he said.

These hotspots, he said will be determined based on the number of active cases in the area for each infectious disease.

In addition, he also announced that those who were tested positive for Covid-19 positive previously required to undergo a seven-day quarantine will have the option to do the RTK-Ag test on the fourth day under the 'Test and Release' protocol.

If the result turned out negative, he said they can end the quarantine period.

As for travellers, he said those who have been vaccinated and children aged 12 years and below were excluded from pre-departure testing and testing upon arrival.

“Travellers who have incomplete vaccination or unvaccinated must undergo RT-PCR test two days prior to the departure and a supervised RTK-Ag test within 24 hours of arrival.

“Covid-19 insurance is also no longer required for tourists entering Malaysia,” he added.