JOHOR BAHRU: With Malaysia’s COVID-19 immunization program underway, Johor’s chief minister hopes negotiations on travel arrangements between the nation and Singapore will resume.
“Opening of borders, the green travel bubble, all other arrangements should be considered upon completion of vaccination,” Hasni Mohammad told reporters.
He added that those that received the COVID-19 vaccination would be given a certificate as proof.
Several states in Malaysia stay under COVID-19 restrictions which restrict or prohibit interstate and inter-district travel.
Hasni emphasized that any decision to reopen borders should take into account the Health Director-General’s statement that the government would only revisit the movement control order (MCO) when 80 percent of the population has been inoculated.
Coordinating Minister for Malaysia’s National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme, Khairy Jamaluddin, mentioned separately on Monday that registration for the vaccine remains low.
So far, about 1.5 million individuals have registered for the vaccination via the MySejahtera mobile app. This is about 6.1 percent of the 80 percent target set for the nation.
Khairy mentioned this percentage is expected to extend after Mar 5, when registrations could be conducted over the phone and online.
Singapore on Feb 1 suspended reciprocal green lane (RGL) arrangements with Malaysia, Germany, South Korea for 3 months.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) mentioned Singapore regularly reviews its border measures to handle the risk of importation and onward local transmission of COVID-19 from travelers. The RGL arrangements will likely be reviewed at the end of the suspension period.
Malaysia residents who’re permanent residents working in Singapore were eligible to apply for the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) scheme from Jan 11 this yr.
Previously, the PCA was open only to Singaporeans and Malaysians who maintain long-term immigration passes in different nations.
The scheme allows Malaysian staff in Singapore to apply for short-term leave after working in Singapore for at least 90 consecutive days.
