Coronavirus: Singapore and Malaysia to reopen land, air travel on November 29

While the air lanes are open to all vaccinated travellers, the land crossing will for now only open up to vaccinated travellers who hold citizenship, permanent residency or work and student permits

Elsewhere, inoculated New Zealanders will be allowed to travel to the country from February 13, while a new church outbreak is at the centre of South Korea’s pandemic

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A view of the causeway linking Malaysia’s southern state of Johor and Singapore. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:53am, 24 Nov 2021Updated: 6:18pm, 24 Nov 2021

Singapore and Malaysia’s quarantine-free travel arrangements will expand to include the busy land border between both nations, weeks after officials said air travel would open from November 29 with six flights a day.

Authorities on Wednesday announced that the land border, which served up to 300,000 daily travellers each day pre-pandemic, would also reopen from November 29 after being shut since March last year.

While the air lanes are open to all vaccinated travellers, the land crossing will for now only open up to vaccinated travellers who hold citizenship, permanent residency or work and student permits in either country.

Both countries would take into account the Covid-19 pandemic situation before potentially expanding this lane to allow for general travellers.

Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office said the limitation on who could use the lane for land crossings was to “give priority for those who have been working in either country to visit their families”.

The neighbouring countries have strong economic ties and are each other’s second most important trading partner after China, surpassing traditional commercial allies such as the United States and Japan. Singapore is also Malaysia’s largest source of visitors.

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