Referring to a report that several countries, including Iceland, Poland and Romania, have permitted entry for vaccinated travellers, the DAP man suggested for Malaysia to be the first Asian country to follow suit.

“Malaysia could revive and rejuvenate its tourism and airline industries if we capitalise on this opportunity,” he said in a statement.

“With the Meeting, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) sector allowed to reopen, this is also an opportunity to attract business travellers and revitalise the country’s international trade.”

Rajiv noted that over 200 million vaccines have been administered worldwide so far, saying this number was likely to increase and that the country “should not hesitate to move forward”.

He said the reopening of borders could stipulate the need for a vaccination passport and a negative Polymerese Chain Reaction (PCR) test 72 hours before arrival.

“All we need to do is emulate, and maybe refine, the strategies and safety measures implemented by other countries who have opened their borders. This needs to be done immediately to boost our country’s economy.”

Over the weekend, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said it was too early to say whether Covid-19 vaccinations could serve as a basis for an “immunity passport” to travel.

Noor Hisham had said the government still needed to monitor the outcome of vaccine efficacy and safety before it could make any further decisions.

However, for a start, he said the government might look at the possibility of easing Covid-19 restrictions, but only if the national immunisation programme did well.