According to a press release from each foreign ministries, from August 10, Singapore and Malaysia will introduce a reciprocal green lane for cross-border travel between the 2 countries.
In a joint statement by Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan, each side agreed to implement the so-called “Reciprocal Green Belt” (RGL) and “Periodic Commuting Arrangement” (PCA).
The RGL allows cross-border travel just for essential business and official purposes, but is subject to Covid-19 prevention guidelines, including polymerase chain response swab testing.
Singapore staycations cannot fill the $20 billion hole within the tourism industry
Singapore staycations cannot fill the $20 billion hole within the tourism industry
Travelers must submit a “controlled itinerary to the host country authorities and cling to that controlled itinerary during their visit,” in response to the joint statement.
Meanwhile, the PCA allows residents of Singapore and Malaysia who hold long-term immigration passes for business or skilled purposes in the opposite country to enter that country to work. They must work repeatedly within the country for 3 months before they will return home on short-term leave.
“Officials in Malaysia and Singapore are working rapidly towards the goal implementation of RGL and PCA on August 10, 2020. This will provide the relevant agencies of each governments with the chance to proceed consultations to finalize the usual operating procedures for each initiatives,” the statement said.
Both sides said health protocols and the applying process will probably be published 10 days before the implementation date.
Malaysia was the primary to shut its border on March 18 after a surge in coronavirus cases that pushed the every day infection rate to triple digits on the time.
So far, the epidemic has been successfully contained, with the every day infection rate dropping to single digits.
The total variety of cases stands at over 8,700, including 122 deaths, in comparison with Singapore which has reported over 46,000 cases and 26 deaths.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
