Singapore and Malaysia have come to an agreement on all key aspects of a framework that will allow bilateral travel for work and official purposes to resume.
Travel, except for the shipment of goods, has halted for more than four months, after land crossings between the countries were halted to curb the spread of Covid-19.
To allow economies to start recovering, the two countries will be introducing two schemes, the reciprocal green lane (RGL) and periodic commuting arrangement (PCA).
Under these two schemes, hundreds of thousands of Malaysians who commute daily to Singapore might be able to resume so, as will business travel – within permitted parameters.
Travellers can start applying for the permits on Aug 10.
The exact operational details of both RGL and the PCA, including detailed requirements, health protocols, and application process involved for entry and exit into Singapore and Malaysia, will be finalised and published shortly, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 26.
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan met his counterpart Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein at the Causeway earlier in the day. They had a “constructive discussion”, said MFA.
“Both Ministers reaffirmed the importance of Singapore-Malaysia cooperation amidst the COVID-19 situation, and agreed to continue discussions on further schemes to progressively restore cross-border travel for other groups of travellers, while ensuring the public health and safety of the citizens of both countries,” added the ministry in its statement.
