Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said this applies to all inbound foreigners using short-term social visit passes.

Malaysian borders officially opened yesterday, 1 April 2022, and the government has stipulated a minimum insurance coverage (for Covid-19 and travelling) of US$20,000 (RM84,090) is needed for all short-term travellers arriving into Malaysia.

It is to be noted that the above stipulation does not apply to Malaysian and Singaporean citizens, as well as permanent residents and long-term pass holders.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said this applied to all foreigners entering Malaysia using short-term social visit passes, irrespective of their Covid-19 vaccination status.

“The insurance protection, among others, is to cover the quarantine, treatment and hospitalisation costs, in case they are infected with Covid-19 during their stay in Malaysia,” he said in a statement on 30 March 2022.

New SOPs for the reopening of international borders now require all inbound short-term travellers to declare their insurance coverage policy by using the MySejahtera app.

On basis of reciprocal policy with Singapore’s requirements, Khairy said the requirement for insurance coverage is exempted for fully-vaccinated travellers from Singapore, Malaysian PR residents, and long-term pass holders from both Singapore or Malaysia

“This exemption is applicable to travellers entering Malaysia from Singapore via air, land and sea,” he said.

Despite all the new changes, Khairy maintains that is still the responsibility of every individual to adhere to the country’s ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection.

He added that although the country is entering the transition of an endemic phase, members of the public are reminded to always use face masks whenever there is a presence of another individual and to always wash their hands with either soap or use hand sanitiser.

It is also still advisable to avoid mass gatherings with little to no physical distancing, especially in places with poor ventilation.