Malaysia will soon be opening its doors to its neighbour Singapore for essential business and official purposes and vice versa. Since locking down its borders in effort to curb the Covid19 spread, international travel has been banned until further notice with interstate travel only just permitted recently with the RMCO announcement.
If arrangements between both countries works out, Singapore will be the first country Malaysia is gradually opening its doors to since the lockdown. The announcement came after Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke last Friday with Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to discuss the gradual and phased resumption of cross-border travel between the two countries.
Both countries will establish a Reciprocal Green Lane and a Periodic Commuting Arrangement to address the needs of different groups of cross-border travellers, according to the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). "The Periodic Commuting Arrangement will allow Singapore and Malaysia residents who hold long-term immigration passes for business and work purposes in the other country to periodically return to their home countries for short-term home leave," the Singapore MFA said in a statement.
"They will be able to return home for leave after spending at least three consecutive months in their country of work, and they will be allowed to re-enter their country of work after their home leave."
MFA said both leaders agreed that any bilateral arrangement would have to include mutually agreed public health protocols, to preserve the public health and safety of citizens on both sides, while taking into account the medical resources available in both countries.
Source: Travel Asia Weekly