SINGAPORE (June 9): Singapore and Malaysia are in talks to allow the resumption of travel between both countries, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said on Monday.
“We welcome these travellers and we want to see the resumption of travel – but it has to be done in a safe way,” he noted at a press conference by the Covid-19 multi-ministry taskforce.
A ‘safe way’ of travel involves looking into the testing protocols in place in both countries, he elaborated.
Quarantine requirements or a combination of quarantine and testing protocols may be adopted in situations where testing cannot be done for all travellers.
Wong further stressed that large numbers of commuters will not be allowed to cross the border freely, as they used to before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
“We’re not talking about large volumes, daily commuters coming in and out freely. We are not going back to that situation. We are talking about resumption of travel, but in a controlled and safe manner for both sides. That is our mutual interest,” he reiterated.
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So far, Singapore has commenced ‘fast lane’ travel with six Chinese provinces on June 8. These provinces include Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, as well as Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing – three cities with provincial status within China’s elaborate hierarchy.
See: 'Fast lane' travel between Singapore and China gets the green light to start on June 8
Wong’s comments follow an announcement by Malaysia’s Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob that Malaysians working here can resume their commute once both governments reach a resolution.
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Malaysia’s borders – which includes the Causeway at Woodlands and Second Link at Tuas – have been shut since the start of its Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18.
The country is looking to ease these restrictions from Wednesday (June 10), with nearly all social, economic and religious activities set to resume with adherence to strict social distancing and safety measures.
Domestic travel will also resume, except to places still under lockdown.
Dubbed the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) phase, these restrictions are slated to run till August 31, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Sunday. If successful, Malaysia will subsequently move to a normalisation period until a vaccine is found.
“I want to remind everyone that if there is a surge in positive Covid-19 cases during this period, the government will not hesitate to impose the enhanced MCO in affected areas,” cautioned Muhyiddin.
