“Patients who are vaccinated and asymptomatic are required to be quarantined for only seven days,” he said in a statement today.

Those who are asymptomatic and have not been fully vaccinated or are unvaccinated need to quarantine for 10 days.

Khairy also said close contacts who have already received the booster dose will only be required to quarantine for five days.

“The unvaccinated and those who have not received the booster dose will need to undergo quarantine for seven days or more, depending on the results of the RTK-Ag test,” he said.

Khairy said close contacts will be given quarantine clearance on the same day of testing if the results prove to be negative and they are asymptomatic.

This new procedure will take effect from tomorrow (Jan 16) and also applies to those who are undergoing quarantine.

Existing procedures for the management of travellers who have just arrived in Malaysia are still applicable.

“The health ministry has also enhanced the preparedness of the health service system in the face of a possible increase in the number of cases caused by the Omicron variant in the country,” he said.

The health ministry also recommends eligible individuals to take the Covid-19 vaccine and the booster dose as quickly as possible to achieve optimal level of protection.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST DATA ON THE COVID-19 SITUATION IN MALAYSIA