KUCHING, 28 Nov — Foreigners with a history of travel within 14 days to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are not allowed to enter Sarawak temporarily.

In a statement, Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) said the decision was made following the discovery of a new variant of Covid-19 called B.1.1.529 involving the seven countries.

According to the statement, Malaysians and permanent resident pass holders who return to Malaysia from those countries are allowed to enter Sarawak by making an application through the EnterSarawak system.

"They must also undergo a 14-day compulsory quarantine at the designated quarantine station at the first point of entry to Malaysia, regardless of vaccination status and home quarantine is not allowed.

"They are also not allowed to transit to other destinations until they have completed undergoing the quarantine period and have a negative RT-PCR Covid-19 test result on the 12th day before being released from quarantine,” said the statement.

SDMC also informed that travellers from abroad must report their travel history to the staff at the airport and failure to do so may be subject to legal action.

"All directives are effective immediately,” said SDMC.

Sarawak today recorded 158 new Covid-19 cases. — Bernama