PUTRAJAYA: Talks are under way to allow Malaysians to commute to Singapore and back for work, with the foreign ministries currently discussing the conditions to be imposed.
In a press briefing on Monday (Jun 8), Malaysia’s Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the special ministerial meeting on the implementation of movement control order (MCO) has agreed to allow Malaysians to travel to and fro for work between Johor Bahru and Singapore.
AdvertisementAdvertisement“We are ready to ensure that they take COVID-19 tests ... If that is the condition required by the Singaporean government, that they take swab tests, we agree,” he said.
However, he said that the implementation will only start after the secretary-general of Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his Singaporean counterpart wrap up their negotiations.
“If we can, we will approve the conditions they propose, and then only Malaysian workers who commute between Johor Bahru and Singapore can resume working again. We are still waiting,” said Mr Ismail Sabri.
[h=3]READ: ‘I eat one meal a day’ - Some Malaysians who lost their jobs in Singapore left stranded and cash-strapped[/h] AdvertisementAdvertisementThe senior minister said with industries in Singapore operating again, they have requested for their Malaysian employees, who are in Johor Bahru, to commute to Singapore for work. Singapore exited the "circuit breaker" on Jun 1, with most economic sectors resuming operations.
Mr Ismail Sabri added that Sultan Ibrahim Johor Foundation and two Singaporean companies Temasek and Thomson Medical Group have stepped forward to contribute two COVID-19 mobile labs and COVID-19 test kits.
Malaysia has imposed the MCO since Mar 18 to restrict domestic and international travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, Singapore also entered the circuit breaker period from Apr 7 to Jun 1, which tightened border controls.
To break the infection chain, both governments mandated a 14-day quarantine for people entering the countries. These measures made it impossible for Malaysians, who reside in Johor but work in Singapore, to travel across the strait.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that the MCO will enter a “recovery phase" beginning Jun 10 until Aug 31. Under the recovery MCO, "almost all" social, educational, religious and business activities, as well as economic sectors will reopen in phases, with standard operating procedures to be adhered to.
While interstate travel is permitted, Malaysia's borders will remain closed.
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