Malaysia likely to remain closed to tourists into 2021: minister

Wary of recurring coronavirus waves, Malaysia may keep its borders closed to international tourists until the second quarter of next year, the minister responsible for the travel sector said in a recent interview. Nancy Shukri, the minister of tourism, arts and culture, said the government is now re-drafting a "green" list of countries deemed safe from the virus, as a first step. "We initially had a list of countries to be allowed in, but then we saw the second and third waves of coronavirus in some of these countries," she said. "So we have to restrategize our plan." Nancy said the reopening of Malaysia's border with Singapore for essential travel, which began Aug. 17, was a positive step. At the same time, she suggested the restrictions on crossings show the Malaysian government remains cautious and will do whatever it takes to protect the public from the deadly virus. "Even if we open our borders now, some countries are not prepared to do so, thus travel cannot happen," she said, adding that the ministry is also in discussions with foreign missions in the country. On Tuesday, the DG of Malaysia's health ministry, Noor Hisham Abdullah, called not for a further reopening of the borders but a renewed clampdown. He said the country should not be allowing inbound or outbound travel for the medium term, to safeguard the interests of all Malaysians.<br/>