3 February 2020

Dear Members and Affiliates,

We refer to the outbreak and spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) since it was first reported in Wuhan, China on 31 December 2019 till now.

Updates:

1. To date (3 February 2020), there has been only 8 confirmed cases of patients with the virus in Malaysia; albeit nationals from China who are in the country now with no deaths reported.
   
2. Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) has beefed up health screening measures at all entry points into the country which include:
   - Carrying out thermal scanning for arriving passengers and flight crews from China at the airports
   - Allocating special medical bays for quarantine purposes at the arrival gates to cater to any passengers who are exhibiting symptoms of the virus.
   
3. The government of Malaysia has suspended temporarily all immigration facilities, including all visas, to Chinese citizens from Wuhan and other cities in nearby Hubei province since 27 January 2020.
   
4. The State government of Sabah has barred temporarily entry all Chinese nationals from entering Sabah effective 30 January 2020 via direct flights until the situation normalises.
   
5. The State government of Sarawak has barred temporarily all Chinese nationals and foreigners who have been to China in the 14 last days effective 1 February 2020 until further notice.
   
6. There have been no known travel advisories restricting travel to Malaysia and South East Asia.
   
7. Ranked number 3 behind Thailand and South Korea in readiness against disease outbreaks, Malaysia remains a safe travel destination for tourists and the local authorities are taking concrete measures to prevent and control the spread of the 2019-nCoV virus.

Please click the link below for press statements by MATTA:

1. Tourism businesses to continue as usual, says MATTA
   
2. China-Sabah flights suspension is a bold move, says MATTA

MATTA will continue to update all members and our foreign counterparts with factual information. The Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) and Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) are closely monitoring the situation and have taken preventive actions and measures to deal with the outbreak.

For the latest updates and guideline on the coronavirus outbreak, members can refer to the Ministry of Health (MOH) website at www.moh.gov.my.

Thank you.

NIGEL WONG
Honorary Secretary General
MATTA