SINGAPORE – Travel on compassionate grounds between Singapore and Malaysia will be allowed from May 17, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan announced on Sunday (May 2) with the presence of his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
Details on the types of tests and quarantine arrangements will be announced later.
Dr Balakrishnan said that the move is necessary due to the “extensive ties” that the two countries share.
“When a family crisis occurs, people want to get together. And therefore, bearing in mind this very special close relationship between the people of Singapore and the people of Malaysia, it is necessary to have schemes like this,” he said.
Hishammuddin commented that the relationship between Malaysia and Singapore remains intact in the era of #COVID19.
“Singapore is a neighboring country that is important for Malaysia and both countries must continue to cooperate closely especially in facing the challenges of this pandemic,” he said.
The two leaders also discussed a potential air travel bubble between Singapore and Malaysia.
They also talked about mutually recognising vaccine certificates to facilitate cross-border travel in the future, which will be done digitally.
Hishammuddin said, for such travel to happen, the digital contact tracing tools of both countries would need to be compatible with each other.
