From March 1, there will be no quarantine for asymptomatic close contacts aged 18 and up.
Individuals over the age of 18 who have had their Covid-19 booster vaccination will no longer be subject to a Home Surveillance Order (HSO) if they show no signs or symptoms of the disease after coming into close contact with a Covid-19 positive case.
The new protocol, which takes effect on March 1, was announced today by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who said the decision was reached after analysing data on Omicron.
However, on the first and third days after coming into contact with a Covid-19 positive case, these close contacts will be required to complete a self-Covid-19 rapid test kit (RTK) test.
Those who test negative on both days may resume their normal activities. If the results are positive, they must report the incident to the MySejahtera app and undertake the isolation time.
Previously, everybody who had booster doses had to spend 5 days in isolation, regardless of whether or not they had symptoms.
Quarantine was still required for persons who had been vaccinated but had not had their booster dose, even if they were asymptomatic, although the period had been reduced from 7 days to 5 days.
If they come into close contact with Covid-19 patients, even if asymptomatic, the unvaccinated or insufficiently vaccinated must quarantine for 7 days, down from 10 days previously.
The Ministry of Health has been gradually reducing quarantine restrictions for Covid-19 close contacts, most notably exempting healthcare personnel from isolation if they became asymptomatic after becoming a close contact.
