It must be a great relief for everybody, especially those in the travel and tourism industries, that the nation's borders are finally reopening on April 1.
Life has gradually returned to near-normal as airports, bus and train stations and river jetties got busy once again when domestic travel was allowed with fewer restrictions.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that resorts near beaches in Kuching have been doing well, even on weekdays, in the recent months, obviously cashing in on pent up demand for rest and relaxation after a dreary two years of lockdowns of varying intensities.
In the Kuching city centre, the most obvious sign of business revival can be seen in restaurants, eateries and drinking holes.
During the Christmas, year-end and Chinese New Year festivities, these establishments were fully booked and waiting times were lengthy for takeout orders.
Traditional tourist haunts near the Main Bazaar and Carpenter Street are still rather quiet on weekdays, but come alive on weekends.
They can be expected to return to old form and start to be really boisterous and lively once tourists make their way back.
The iconic Kuching Waterfront is teeming with life again most afternoons and evenings, with joggers and patrons of eateries.
To be sure, much has changed. As entertainment spots in the city centre were hollowed out with the onset of the pandemic, locals found new venues for nocturnal activities in the suburbs.
Some old spots that did not survive the long furlough will likely reopen in one incarnation or another. Others took the time off to refurbish and should come back newer and better.
The same goes for city hotels. The grand dames of international chains have spruced themselves up in time for the expected tourists and business travellers calling again.
Many smaller hotels are also readying themselves.
The state capital's private hospitals should also see the return of regular clients from across the border in West Kalimantan, too. These visitors, with family members in tow, used to be quite ubiquitous in town, with their Indonesian-registered vehicles.
Repeat or first-time holiday-makers to Kuching, like virtually all cities everywhere, will find a city chastened and changed, but otherwise familiar in many ways.
Besides the usual charms, the city has to offer and the natural attractions around it, they will be in for a very special cultural treat.
The mammoth Borneo Cultures Museum just opened its doors. Just across the road from the legendary 131-year-old Sarawak Museum, it is reputedly the region's largest museum after the Singapore National Museum.
A local culture and antiquities aficionado came away from a tour of the new museum impressed by its collection. It should have little trouble fulfilling its goal of being a cultural repository for all things Borneo.
If there is one thing I hope the powers that be will look into, it is to find ways to revive business in several shopping centres in the city centre that are now rather embarrassingly quiet and empty since, like entertainment spots catering to locals, shopping centres have migrated to the suburbs, too.
Since one of these empty shopping centres belongs to the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation, a state statutory body, innovative ways to use these empty centres ought to be found, fully backed by the state government.
Perhaps something like the Central Market concept in Kuala Lumpur may be feasible?
The revival of these commercial complexes will bring in businesses that will revive the hustle and bustle that once characterised the Kuching city centre, particularly after nightfall.
The transition to endemicity may throw up a nasty surprise or two, so even as we welcome the return of life as it used to be, we must not throw all caution to the wind.
The writer views developments in the nation, region and wider world from his vantage point in Kuching
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times