KUALA LUMPUR: All British nationals currently in Malaysia for holiday have been advised to return to the United Kingdom following an increased nationwide effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.
British High Commissioner to Malaysia Charles Hay, in a Facebook video post today, said the holidaying British nationals should do so as soon as possible.
“We strongly recommend that all British Nationals visiting Malaysia should return to the UK now, while commercial routes are still available.
“International travel is becoming increasingly difficult with many airlines suspending flights, and land and sea borders closing,”
He said government repatriations would only be organised in “exceptional circumstances”.
“You should contact your tour operator or transport provider now if you want to leave. Please also check our Travel Advice pages.”
He said those who decided to stay on should arrange for long-term accommodation here, as they might not have such options in the future under the current situation.
“This advice is for UK travellers to Malaysia, not for UK nationals living in Malaysia, for whom our advice remains to stay put,” he said.
Britain on Monday ordered a three-week lockdown to tackle the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus, shutting “non-essential” shops and services, and banning gatherings of more than two people.
“Stay at home,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a televised address to the nation, as he unveiled unprecedented peacetime measures after the country’s death toll climbed to 335.
The announcement came after outrage in the government that recommendations about reducing social contact to minimise close-contact transmission of the virus were being ignored.