KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — International travel under the ‘green lane’ concept will only happen if the countries involved meet the criteria set by the government, says Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said that the countries in question should be categorised as green zones and have a good record in handling Covid-19 cases.

"We have to look at the standard operating procedures (SOP) between the two countries. If we can agree on the SOPs — like when the Covid-19 test can be taken or whether it can be done in the origin country — then we can consider this ‘travel bubble’ concept,” he told a press conference this evening.

"This is similar to interstate travel, but in this case, it involves travelling from one country to another. But only selected countries that met our criteria will be considered,” he added.

However, Dr Noor Hisham stressed that this is still very much in the discussion stage.

"We are in the recovery phase and let us open sectors in the country first, such as the economy, social, sports, business, education and so on.

"If we can open these sectors and control the spread of Covid-19 infections, then maybe we can think about relaxing international border controls,” he added.

Last week, it was reported that some countries are looking to ease pressure on their economies by establishing travel bubbles — also known as ‘green lanes’ or ‘fast lanes’ — with minimal or no quarantine periods.

Nikkei Asian Review said that Singapore and China agreed to set up a system to allow reciprocal travel for essential business and official purposes, starting with six Chinese provinces and municipalities: Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

It added that travellers from either country will have to apply for visas in advance and undergo coronavirus testing before departing, followed by another test upon arrival. All tests will be at their own cost.