Malaysians Traveling To The UK Don’t Have To Quarantine Anymore

This came into effect on 4am, 11 August.

Eva Dang/Unsplash

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The UK government has announced that travellers from Malaysia are no longer required to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival to the country.

Who said what: The British High Commissioner to Malaysia Charles Hay announced on Twitter that Malaysia has been added to the safe travel corridors list of travellers do not need to quarantine upon arrival in the UK from 11 August onwards. However, he added that quarantine is required if travellers transit in a county not on the list.

Delighted today Malaysia 🇲🇾 added to list where travellers do not need quarantine on arrival in 🇬🇧. Great news for 000s of students on way to their studies! But if you transit a country not on the list you will need to quarantine! @UKinMalaysia
— Charles Hay (@UKAmb_Hay) August 11, 2020

What you need to know: Though the UK government states that travellers from Malaysia transiting in a country not on the list are required to undergo self-quarantine, there are exemptions. No quarantine is required if:

no new passengers get on
no-one on-board gets off and mixes with people outside
passengers get off but do not get back on

However, this only applies for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Travellers to Scotland still need to quarantine for 14 days.

Aside from Malaysia, Brunei has also been added to the safe travel corridors list on 11 August.

Why it matters: According to the British High Commissioner, this is welcome news for students who are continuing their studies in the UK. UK universities are still processing international applications as normal and the intended Autumn 2020 intake in September will be carrying through blended in-person and online learning.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein also tweeted the good news, stating that this move signifies the “strong and friendly bilateral relations” between both countries.

The 🇬🇧 UK's decision to include Malaysia in their Safe Travel Corridors list signifies the strong & friendly bilateral relations between both countries. This new arrangement allows Msians to be exempted from 14-days self-isolation upon entering the UK, starting from 11 Aug 2020. pic.twitter.com/FvysfdI5WI
— Hishammuddin Hussein 🇲🇾 (@HishammuddinH2O) August 11, 2020