Covid-19
What is the current situation in Sabah?
The number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia remains low compared to many places in the world (27,805 cases as of 27th Oct 2020 in the whole country since March) but due to rising numbers in Sabah over the past weeks, the government has taken some precautionary measures to slow or stop the spread of Covid-19. These measures will impact your ability to enter, exit and travel through Sabah over the coming weeks and if you have an upcoming booking affected by these measures, we will contact you to help you reschedule. You can also reach out to us anytime at info@river-junkie.com or just reply to the previous emails your travel consultant has sent you.
Covid-19 travel restrictions ( last updated 21st Oct 2020)
- Sabah is currently under a Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO). During this time, leisure, recreational and cultural activities are not permitted and sadly domestic and international tourism is suspended. The CMCO is scheduled to end on 9th Nov 2020 and we will provide a further update then.
- Mount Kinabalu will be closed from 28th Sept 2020 until 9th Nov 2020
- Other national parks & visitor centres including Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and Sepilok are temporarily not accepting any visitors.
We hope that these measures will be effective quickly and we look forward to welcoming everyone to Sabah again soon. In the meantime we are open as usual for enquiries & reservations and more information regarding visiting Sabah is below.
What should I expect when visiting Sabah under the "New norm"
The Malaysian government has implemented a series of Standard Operating Procedures covering all aspects of doing business and travelling in Malaysia, the common elements are very similar to what you will find in many countries throughout the world:
- Temperature checks are frequent and mandatory upon entering public buildings such as malls & offices.
- You will need to register your details when entering public buildings, this can be done quickly via the MySejahtera app (scan a QR code upon entry) or you can opt to write your details in a register instead. We advise bringing your own pen if you won't have internet or won't be able to access the MySejahtera app during your time here.
- Hand sanitiser is readily available at the entrances to all buildings including hotels, offices, tour agencies, national park registration counters etc.
- Wearing a mask is currently mandatory in public buildings such as malls, supermarkets, hotel or national park reception counters as well as on all forms of public transport. The official guideline is that if you cannot socially distance, even in an outside environment, then you must wear a mask, failure to do so may result in a fine. Most Malaysians wear a mask at all times whilst in public, except for during exercise or when eating & drinking.
- The number of visitors in most areas has been reduced to assist with social distancing. Mount Kinabalu is currently limited to 143 climbers per day and the capacity of dormitory accommodation on the mountain has been halved.
I'm coming from overseas, when can I plan to visit Sabah?
The simple answer is that we don't know. At this time, Malaysia's borders are closed to overseas visitors until 31st Dec 2020, a further update should be available by this date. The Malaysian government is currently working on establishing travel corridors with neighbouring areas such as Singapore & Hong Kong but has not provided a timeline for borders re-opening. In view of this, we are working to make our booking terms as flexible as possible, in the event that borders haven't reopened in time for your planned holiday, we will be happy to assist you to postpone until such time as you are able to visit. We are also offering deposit-free bookings for a number of our tours, please just contact us to find out more or view our flexible booking policy here.
