COVID: Singapore citizens can enter Malaysia via land VTL from 20 December

SINGAPORE — From next Monday (20 December), the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) between Singapore and Malaysia via the Causeway will be extended to citizens of both countries, the multi-ministry taskforce for COVID-19 announced on Tuesday (14 December).

This means that Singaporeans will be able to enter Malaysia, and Malaysians will be able to travel to Singapore. Previously, only citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders of the country they were entering were able to travel via the VTL across the Causeway.

There will be no change to the current test protocols in Singapore and Malaysia. All travellers entering Singapore will have to abide by the prevailing test protocols and safe management measures, which include the post-arrival, seven-day COVID-19 antigen rapid test regime.

The Singapore-Malaysia land VTL began on 29 November, with travellers crossing via the Causeway on designated VTL buses. The first phase of the land VTL sees a total daily quota of about 2,900 travellers, with 1,440 passengers crossing each way.

A joint-VTL was also launched on the same day between Singapore's Changi Airport and Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

At a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, the multi-ministry task force on COVID-19 (MTF) was asked why the authorities are easing up on measures such as expanding the land VTL, given that they have warned of a potential new wave of the Omicron variant.

In response, Health Minister and MTF co-chair Ong Ye Kung said that it was part of learning to be resilient and living with COVID-19.

"More resilient means don't go back to CB (circuit breaker) and if we push ourselves further, don't go back to P2HA (Phase 2 Heightened Alert) and we have to try our best to be able to open up gradually and each time we see another wave, new clusters forming, we don't have to throttle all the way back into very painful, safe social restrictions. We can't rule it out but they must always be our last resort."

Fellow MTF co-chair Lawrence Wong added that the authorities are already preparing for the potential next wave, such as strengthening vaccination-differentiated safe management measures and pressing forward with vaccines and boosters. "(The Omicron wave) will happen but at the same time we have to learn to live with the virus."

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