“I’m nervous because it’s still like a dream. I can’t believe that I’ll finally get to see my fiance after two years apart,” said Amartha, who works in the retail sector.
The 33-year-old told FMT that after almost five years together, they were set to tie the knot in 2021 but had to postpone their wedding because of travel restrictions.
Amartha said she had applied to enter Malaysia several times via MyTravelPass, but was turned down again and again on grounds that her documents were “incomplete”.
With the borders reopening, the wait is finally over and the duo is able to move forward with their plans to get married.
Malaysians and non-Malaysians alike have been eagerly waiting for the country’s borders to reopen today to reunite with their loved ones.
The borders have been closed since the first movement control order (MCO) in March 2020.
For Malaysian dentist Fong, who resides in Hong Kong, the reopening of the borders means that she will be able to fly home to see her family without “eating up so many days of leave from work”.
“I’m so happy the country is reopening its borders and forgoing quarantine for fully vaccinated individuals,” she told FMT.
Fong said she had also been waiting for Hong Kong to ease its SOPs from today, as she would otherwise have to undergo quarantine for 14 days instead of seven upon her return from Malaysia.
Asked about plans for her homecoming, she said she just wanted to spend quality time with her family, adding that a simple reunion dinner and catching up would be good enough for her.
Indian national Aaryan Chandra Prakash, a filmmaker, is looking forward to his first trip to Malaysia to join girlfriend Yeoh Xin Pei, of Kedah.
“I’m very happy to finally be able to travel to Malaysia as I’d like to meet my girlfriend’s family for the first time. It’s been a long time coming, since we actually planned this trip before the lockdowns happened,” said the 24-year-old.
He said that visiting Malaysia would give him a good opportunity to not only acquaint himself with local culture, but to also spend time with Yeoh in her homeland.
“I think this will be a great way to explore Malaysian culture in detail and also to get to know each other better,” he said.