What the Singapore-Malaysia border re-opening means for coronavirus-era travel

For the first time in five months, Malaysians stuck in Singapore are able to visit home – so long as they provide a negative Covid-19 test result

This ‘periodic commuting arrangement’ joins Singapore’s reciprocal green lane for essential business and official travel between both countries

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Trucks pass across the Johor Causeway on the first day of the opening of the border between Malaysia and Singapore on Monday. Photo: DPA

Published: 9:15pm, 17 Aug 2020Updated: 8:50am, 18 Aug 2020

Early on Monday, 31-year-old Saiful Shukeri became one of the first commuters to cross the land border between Singapore and Malaysia since it was closed amid the coronavirus pandemic in March.

The engineer, who arrived at Tuas on the western end of Singapore at 6.45am armed with his “periodic commuting arrangement” papers, said he was “very, very, very excited” to be reunited with his family in Klang, Selangor state, who he has not seen in five months.

His daughter turned three while he was stuck in the city state, but Saiful will now be allowed to return home – pending a negative Covid-19 test result, which can take up to 24 hours.

He has taken six weeks off work and plans to use it to reunite with his family and travel within Malaysia, he said.

A man wearing a face mask sits in chair on a street in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Bloomberg

Saiful is one of the many Malaysians who would travel to Singapore each day for work before the pandemic, and who opted to stay in the city state as borders closed and lockdowns began in March and April.

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