Back in September, the government announced that they will start treating the COVID-19 pandemic as an endemic at the end of October.

Well, that's not happening anymore.

Tigther border controls

The government’s plan to move into the endemic phase has been postponed for now, Free Malaysia Today reported.

This is due to the newly identified Omicron variant, confirms Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

“For the time being, the Ministerial Quartet has decided to temporarily pause our efforts to move into the ‘endemic transition’ phase until we find out more about Omicron,” Hishammuddin was quoted as saying.

Image credit: The Star

Prior to this, Malaysia has banned travel to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia in light of the new, possibly more transmissable COVID-19 variant.

Hishammuddin said the government will also look into imposing tighter international border controls on countries that have reported the Omicron cases.

Need to meet seven criteria

Before this, it was reported that Hishammuddin said that a total of seven components need to be met before the country can enter the endemic phase.

That includes having one standard operating procedure (SOP) with nine guidelines; a Heightened Alert System - HAS; National Testing Strategy; and TRIIS (Test, Report, Isolate, Inform, Seek).

It also entails having an automated ‘Find, Test, Trace, Isolate, Support’ (FTTIS) system, the gradual reopening of national borders, as well as community empowerment ambassadors.

Let's pray that the Omicron variant will not find its way here.