【Kuala Lumpur＝ Malaysia BIZ Navi】　Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin confirms the country's first Omicron case, a new variant to the Covid-19 strain, on the 3rd of December.

The Omicron strain was found in a female student, 19, who arrived from South Africa. She was studying at a private university in Ipoh, Perak, who arrived at Kuala Lumpur New International Airport (KLIA) via Singapore on November 19. The student underwent a PCR test upon arrival and quarantine in an apartment provided by the university for 10 days. She had no symptoms and subsequent PCR tests were also negative, and had successfully completed the quarantine on November 29.

Five people who were also on the same bus that traveled from KLIA to Ipoh, tested negative as well. Authorities are following up with those who came into contact with the infected and those who were on the plane with her. So far no city-wide infections have been confirmed in Perak, which includes Ipoh.
Regarding the "VaccinatedTravel Lane (VTL)," which was launched on November 29 that allows travel between Malaysia and Singapore without quarantine, Mr. Khairul stated that it will continue for the time being. He confirmed that both governments will continue to share information and respond to the situation accordingly.

■Langkawa travel bubble excludes 50 countries■
The Ministry of Health announced a temporary ban on participating countries into the Travel Bubble for foreign travelers in Langkawi from 50 countries on the 2nd. Of which consists of 26 countries with recorded Omicron cases and 24 more countries with no cases of Omicron but are still considered high risk.
Countries with confirmed cases (Schedule 1) include 26 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. This includes those who have traveled to these countries within 14 days. Twenty-four countries, including Russia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh, are classified as high-risk countries (Schedule 2). The list is updated everyday.

Info Source：Asia Infonet