At a press conference, he said the decision was made after taking into consideration the country’s high vaccination rate, low hospital bed usage for Covid-19 patients, and other risk factors.

Under the endemic phase, people will still need to wear face masks in public. However, operation hours for businesses will no longer be restricted.

Ismail said people still need to check-in on MySejahtera before entering any premises but such registration would no longer be required for open areas where there are no gatherings of any kind.

“Congregational prayer activities in mosques, suraus, and other houses of worship can also be performed without physical distancing,” he added.

“Interstate travel will be allowed regardless of vaccination status from next month. There will also be no more workplace capacity limits.”

However, Ismail advised people who are suspected of having Covid-19 or who test positive to comply with all the guidelines set by the health ministry, including testing and quarantine procedures.

The government had been working to move into the endemic phase of Covid-19 since last year but had to put those plans on hold in November because of the then newly-identified Omicron variant.

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