KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — Putrajaya’s intention to conduct Covid-19 screening before Malaysians are allowed to travel to Sabah or Sarawak without the 14-day quarantine there will be expanded to all Malaysians returning home and foreigners visiting the country.

In today’s Covid-19 press conference, Health director general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the federal government is still looking at the plan as the next initiative in travel.

"If you want to go to Sabah or Sarawak, you can do a screening three days before leaving. If the results are negative, there is no need to be quarantined there once you have arrived. Maybe it is an initiative that we can use.

"The plan is not just for Sabah and Sarawak but also for our country. Malaysians returning home can do a Covid-19 screening three days before travelling here. The same applies to foreigners coming here. If they have been tested negative, there’s no need for a quarantine” he said.

Currently, Malaysians returning from overseas must undergo mandatory quarantine at the various quarantine centres nationwide.

Right now, the government is considering allowing them entry if they have been screened three days prior.

Subsequently, those who test negative before their flight to Malaysia can conduct a 14-day self-quarantine at home.

Dr Noor Hisham added that private laboratories can also conduct the screenings.

He added that 80 per cent of those screened can have their results within 48 hours.