Dhaka: The Langkawi International Travel Bubble has been extended until Malaysia’s border reopening with an enhanced standard procedure, effective February 16.

According to reports, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, in a statement on February 17 announced that the move was made following the Covid-19 Ministerial Quartet Meeting on February 8.

"The SOP for the entry of foreign travellers into Malaysia via the LITB is in line with the decision reached and latest guideline issued by the Ministry of Health that was gazetted on February 16, 2022. This SOP will be a benchmark for that for the coming border reopening,” it said.

The SOP included allowing tourists who have received the booster shot to leave Langkawi Island on the fifth day if the Covid-19 real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or RTK antigen test is negative on the fourth and fifth day, respectively.

Children aged 12 years and below can also travel with their vaccinated parents or guardian without the need for proof of vaccination, while those aged below two years do not have to undergo Covid-19 screening.

The SOP also stipulated that it is compulsory for foreign tourists to purchase an insurance policy worth USD 50,000 (RM 209 million) for Covid-19 and travelling while Malaysians staying abroad are exempted from this condition.

The ministry also announced that incoming flights through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) for LTIB are allowed, from February 22.

The LITB was introduced on November 15, 2021 as a three-month pioneer project to test the readiness and preparedness of the country’s tourism ecosystem, particularly the tourism industry players and front liners in receiving foreign tourists in a gradual and safe manner.