Shawn Tan
Image credit: Jpatokal
With the global COVID-19 vaccination programme underway, many countries are looking to reopen borders and to boost the dampened aviation industry. Similarly, Johor’s Chief Minister, Hasni Mohammad is hopeful for Singapore and Malaysia to resume talks of reopening borders. This comes after Malaysia kickstarted their own COVID-19 immunisation programme.
Also read: Singapore, Hong Kong In Talks Of Resuming Travel Bubble
Reopening of border dependent on uptaking rate of immunisation
Speaking after receiving his own COVID-19 vaccination, Minister Hasni mentioned that citizens will be given a vaccination certificate as proof. “Opening of borders, the green travel bubble, all other arrangements should be considered upon completion of vaccination,” he said. That said, for Singapore and Malaysia to reopen the border, the minister emphasised that the Malaysia government would only revisit the movement control order (MCO) when 80 per cent of the population has been inoculated.
Currently, Coordinating Minister for Malaysia’s National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, Khairy Jamaluddin, has said that registration for the vaccine remains low. So far, only about 1.5 million Malaysians have registered for the vaccination via the MySejahtera mobile app. This figure amounts to only 6.1 per cent, which falls short of the 80 per cent target.
Looking forward to reopening borders
On 1 February 2021, reciprocal green lane (RGL) arrangements between Singapore and Malaysia were halted for three months. This was due to the resurgence of COVID-19 cases worldwide. The suspension also included South Korea and Germany. Moving forward, we can expect the government to review the RGL arrangements once the suspension period is over.
Singaporean PRs from Malaysia who have worked in Singapore for at least 90 consecutive days can also utilise the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) scheme for short return trips back to Malaysia. As both neighbouring countries roll out their respective vaccination programmes, we can look forward to the day when Singapore and Malaysia can reopen their borders again.
